Richmond draftee Kane McAuliffe will make his AFL debut in his home state of South Australia in this weekend's Gather Round.
The 19-year-old, who was drafted by the Tigers with pick No. 40 from SANFL club North Adelaide, will fittingly return to Adelaide for his opening senior game when Richmond faces St Kilda at Norwood Oval.
The Port Augusta product has made an immediate impact at Tigerland, impressing over the pre-season before claiming back-to-back best on ground honours in the opening two VFL rounds.
The inside midfielder sits on top of the table in the VFL's Coaches MVP Award, averaging 30.5 disposals, 15.5 contested possessions, seven clearances, 6.5 inside-50s and 6.5 tackles across his two appearances, while also showing an ability to hit the scoreboard.
With his contest work and handy left foot key features of McAuliffe's game, Richmond coach Adem Yze said the exciting youngster had been "knocking the door down'' for his for opportunity.
"He's a quality kid, he's in really good form," Yze said.
VFL coach Steve Morris shared Yze's sentiment.
"He’s in great form... He had a game-high eight tackles (in Round 2 of the VFL) and consistently won the footy for us on the day," he said.
The Tigers will name their final Round 4 side on Friday at 5.00pm.
