It would be an exaggeration to say Geelong’s Irish recruit Mark O’Connor is jumping straight off a plane and into his AFL debut on Saturday night.

But not much of an exaggeration.

O’Connor, 20, has played six matches since joining the Cats in October last year as an international rookie. Not AFL matches – games of footy, full stop.

After two practice hit-outs and four VFL matches, game No.7 will be at the MCG against Essendon.

“It’s extremely overwhelming and quite unexpected,” O’Connor admitted to reporters on Thursday night.

“I never expected it would be so soon. I was kind of hoping it would be this year.”

An hamstring strain to dynamic forward Brandan Parfitt placed the 19-year-old on the long-term injury list, freeing up a place for O’Connor’s debut.

The former County Kerry Gaelic football player said he was stunned to be told the news by coach Chris Scott.

“It was sprung upon me this week. I wasn’t even sure if he was being serious or not,” he said.

“I was doing a bit of handballing this morning with Corey Enright. He told me that Chris Scott wanted to do some edits with me, so I rocked into the room and he pretty much just told me I’d be playing.

“I laughed it off. He said that he was serious.”

Scott can hardly afford to joke after dropping four players from the side that lost to Gold Coast last weekend.

Joining O’Connor as inclusions are Zac Smith, Tom Stewart and Jake Kolodjashnij with Aaron Black, Jackson Thurlow, Jordan Murdoch and Darcy Lang omitted.

Defender Lachie Henderson also won’t play.

He was a late withdrawal from the side that lost to the Suns and was unable to prove his fitness.