Arie Schoenmaker will make his AFL debut this Friday night as St Kilda takes on Brisbane at the Gabba.
Arie Schoenmaker will make his AFL debut this Friday night as St Kilda takes on Brisbane at the Gabba.
The 194cm defender has been a consistent force for Sandringham this year, refining his defensive craft under the tutelage of development coaches Jake Batchelor, Damian Carroll and Lenny Hayes to average 25 disposals per game at VFL level.
Taken with pick No. 62 at last year’s draft, the Tasmanian native’s strength, speed and thumping boot will all come into play as the Saints look to secure their sixth win for the season prior to the mid-season bye.
Schoenmaker was told the news of his debut by St Kilda Development Coach and VFL Senior Coach Jake Batchelor after today’s main training session, surrounded by his teammates.
“Arie has worked hard to earn his spot and we’re excited to see him take this opportunity at AFL level,” General Manager of Football David Misson said.
Schoenmaker will be the 1647th player to represent the red, white and black at AFL level and the fifth of St Kilda’s most recent draft class to feature at senior level this season following Darcy Wilson, Lance Collard, Angus Hastie and Hugo Garcia.
St Kilda will name its full team to face Brisbane tomorrow at 6:20pm AEST.