Exciting young midfielder Quinton Narkle will become Geelong’s sixth AFL debutant of the year when he squares off against the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium on Friday night.

Fully recovered following a knee reconstruction in mid-2017, the 20-year-old has been rewarded for some eye-catching performances in the VFL.

Key defender Harry Taylor, forward Dan Menzel and midfielders Scott Selwood and Cam Guthrie are all in contention to take on the Bulldogs after coming off the injury list.

Several others, including ruckman Zac Smith, utility Nakia Cockatoo and backman Lachie Henderson will spend at least one week in the VFL before being considered for senior selection.

Coach Chris Scott faces a tricky balancing act introducing the group back into he top-flight as the AFL team’s next three games are on Friday followed by two Thursday night interstate clashes, while the Geelong VFL team plays later each weekend.

But Narkle is a certain starter against a Bulldogs team already out of finals contention.

“We’re excited to see him on the big stage and we’re confident that he’ll do well,” Scott told reporters on Wednesday.

“He kicked a beautiful goal (in the VFL) a couple of weeks ago, winning the ball in deep 50 and taking it all the way down the ground.

“He’s a really contested player, sharp with the ball, who can play multiple roles.”

Narkle will become the rejuvenated Cats’ 14th AFL debutant in the past season and a half, having made steady progress since rupturing his ACL in June 2017.

“It’s a really difficult situation for a young player who was out of contract at the end of this year,” said Scott.

“The temptation I’m sure would have been to fast-track his recovery and put a lot of pressure on himself to play well to secure his place on our list.

“Our approach was that we just always wanted to get him back playing footy and make sure physically he was OK.

“Assuming he was able to do that we were pretty confident that his position on our list was assured.”