There will always be an unknown element to how they will perform, with the pace of the game and the pressure involved something they can only learn by getting out there and playing.
All we can do as coaches is set a standard for how they have to perform at the level below before they get their opportunity and reward them when they’re ready.
I think all of our debutants this season have demanded selection, and it's great to see more young players in line this week.
Koby Stevens certainly deserves his opportunity come Sunday after a standout game for East Fremantle.
He’s had a lot of 20 to 23-touch games in the WAFL this year, which you’d call solid games, but last week was the first time he’s dominated possession-wise and ran the game out well.
His pre-season was obviously a little bit limited and we managed him through those NAB Challenge games, but his fitness at AFL level will be as good as any young kid coming in.
You never play a young fella who you think will battle at that intensity, body-wise, and we believe he’s ready.
He’ll get a run onball, which is where he’s suited. He’s as hard as any young kid I’ve seen in terms of putting his head over the ball, hitting through and taking bodies.
He’ll certainly enjoy that role on the weekend against some hard, tough inside midfielders, with Matthew Boyd and Daniel Cross two of the better ones going around in the competition. He’s going to have to hit them head on.
Andrew Strijk comes in as a 22-year-old rookie and he’s had a few little niggles of his own over the last couple of years.
We had to monitor him quite heavily in the pre-season after some operations he had at the end of 2009, so he didn’t get the work in that we would have liked.
Andrew has just starting to come good now and he’s played some terrific football at West Perth this year to earn his opportunity.
He’s probably got something that we don’t have a lot of at the moment, in terms of being an explosive player with a really good turn of foot.
He’s also a beautiful kick, so the Subiaco ground should certainly suit him.
Both Koby and Andrew had a taste of it in the pre-season, which is a positive. Those games are nowhere near the intensity it will be on Sunday, but at least they’ve pulled on a West Coast jumper and got a few of the nerves out of the way.
Another young player in line is Ash Smith, who has been named on the extended bench after making some big inroads in the 12 months.
He’s been quite solid in recent weeks and has been an emergency a few times now.
Ash is one bloke who can certainly run and carry the football and he’s played wing, half-back and half-forward at WAFL and underage level.
He’s winning more of the footy at WAFL level and has definitely improved. He’s getting very close to a debut.
The views in this article are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the club.
