‘Haven’t slept’: Giants unveil prized debutant

The Giants will blood highly rated on-baller Harry Rowston against West Coast, but last year’s No.1 pick will have to bide his time despite another bag of goals.

Rowston, who was taken by the Giants with pick 16 after they were forced to match Sydney’s bid for their academy player, has won his chance in Perth amid injuries to midfielders Josh Kelly (concussion) and Harry Perryman (hamstring).

The 18-year-old was told on Friday by captain Toby Greene in front of the Giants players and coaches that he would make his debut against the Eagles.

He said the prospect of a debut had been playing on his mind after it was confirmed at the start of the week that Kelly, Perryman and Lachie Whitfield (concussion) would all be unavailable to play.

“I haven’t slept all week, just been thinking about it … it’s pretty exciting,” Rowston said.

“To finally know, I couldn’t be happier.

“I’ll get in there and compete … hit bodies, tackle hard – those are the things I got drafted for and the things that Kingers (coach Adam Kingsley) has wanted me to show out on the footy field.”

Top draft pick Aaron Cadman will have a longer wait for his first game but impressed Kingsley with his haul of six goals in a VFL practice match against Sydney last weekend.

“Cads had a really strong game in the VFL, so he’s continually putting his hand up, so we’ll have a decision to make at some point, whether that’s this week or beyond, around do we want to see him at AFL level right now,” Kingsley said on Monday.

“What’s the mix in the forward line, do we play four talls, is three enough, who makes way if we bring Aaron in? All these sorts of decision-making is attached to Aaron and we’re working our way through that.

“But we’re in no rush to play him. He’s here for a career, not the first month of the season.”

Rowston, who hails from a farm near Griffith in southern NSW, was part of the GWS academy all through his junior career until he was drafted last year.

The 182cm right-footer received rave reviews over the pre-season from fellow on-ballers Tom Green, Callan Ward and Finn Callaghan, who all touted him as front of the queue for a midfield spot.

He will be joined in the side by hard-running wingman Cooper Hamilton, with Callaghan likely to shift from the wing into an inside role after his impressive round 1 performance against Adelaide.

Last week’s substitute, foundation player Adam Kennedy, has also broken into the starting 22 and will play his 150th game for the club.