Ned Cahill will become the 1168th player to don the sash when he makes his AFL debut on Friday night.
Taken at pick No.56 in last year's NAB AFL Draft, the crafty and energetic small forward received the exciting news at the start of training on Wednesday.
Playing a key role in Vic Country’s strong 2019 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships campaign, Cahill kicked six goals and averaged 12.3 disposals and 3.5 tackles from his four games.
That added to a terrific season at Dandenong Stingrays where he was constantly dangerous in attack with 23 goals from his 16 games, finding plenty of the ball with an average of 18.3 disposals.
The 19-year-old has earned senior selection on the back of his eye-catching performances in the Bombers' three scratch matches.
He booted five goals in last week's hitout against North Melbourne at Southport Sharks Football Club, also impressing in stints in midfield.
He will become the Bombers' first AFL debutant of 2020, with Andrew Phillips, Tom Cutler, Jacob Towsend and Mitch Hibberd already making their club debuts this season.
Essendon will release its full team for its round seven clash with the Western Bulldogs at 6:20pm AEST tonight.
