Jake Spencer, lining up for the Sandringham Reserves in the VFL 12 months ago and a Melbourne rookie list player a week ago, will become the first Townsville product to play AFL football on Sunday afternoon.
The 19-year-old 203cm ruckman, will make a stunning debut for the Demons against North Melbourne at the MCG.
His fairytale selection came after he elevated to the senior list last Thursday to be eligible for senior selection.
Spencer was named to lead the Melbourne ruck division following an outstanding pre-season in which he played all four senior games in the top side.
It caps a meteoric rise by the quietly-spoken but ever-competitive giant, who moved from Hermit Park AFC to Brisbane-based AFLQ club Redland in 2007 to follow his AFL dream.
He played with the Queensland U18 side that year but was overlooked in the national draft. It was only when Melbourne recognized his raw athletic potential that they threw him a lifeline via the rookie draft.
A nephew of Brisbane Lions chairman Tony Kelly, he split his time between the seniors and reserves at Williamstown last year, but was preferred at selection tonight to former Adelaide Crows ruckman John Meesen, originally taken at No.8 overall in the 2004 National Draft.
Spencer will join former Queensland U18 teammate Brendan Whitecross in making his AFL debut this weekend. From the Zillmere Eagles, Whitecross won a spot with premiers Hawthorn for tomorrow night’s grand final replay against Geelong at the MCG.
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