Fremantle will blood their fourth AFL debutant of the year in Sunday’s match against the Western Bulldogs in Perth, with Cameron Sutcliffe a confirmed starter for the crunch game.
Sutcliffe has earned his spot after a stunning game for WAFL club East Fremantle last week, with the 187cm midfielder tallying 34 possessions and two goals.
The 20-year-old was overlooked in the 2010 national draft, but was snapped up by the Dockers with pick No.71 last year.
Sutcliffe joins Lee Spurr, Hayden Crozier and Lachie Neale as other Dockers to have made their debuts this season.
Crozier is currently sidelined by glandular fever, while Neale is in some doubt to play on Sunday after injuring his ankle in last week’s loss to Collingwood.
Defender Spurr, 24, has since been dropped back to WAFL ranks after notching three games between rounds 6-8.
Fremantle coach Ross Lyon said he was excited to see what Sutcliffe could produce on the big stage.
“He’s an elite runner and has worked really hard,” Lyon said on Friday.
Veteran defender Antoni Grover and ruckman Kepler Bradley are almost certain to survive the cut when the squad is trimmed on Friday afternoon, while midfielder Stephen Hill will be named if his suspect ankle makes it through training.
The Dockers sit in 13th spot on the table with a 6-7 win-loss record, but can make a major surge up the table over the coming month with winnable games against the Bulldogs, Melbourne (away), GWS (home) and Port Adelaide (away) to come.