Keidean Coleman will make his finals debut for the Brisbane Lions against Richmond at the Gabba tonight in just his fifth AFL game – equal second quickest in club history.
Only 2003 premiership player Richard Hadley played finals earlier in his career – his second game was a final and his fourth game a grand final.
Coleman will equal the effort of Nick Trask, who played in the Lions’ first final post-merger in 1997 in his fifth game.
QUEENSLANDER! How good having the entire State behind us as we head into Finals, including some of our greatest athletes ?? pic.twitter.com/ZCwxFdlnvb
— Brisbane Lions (@brisbanelions) October 2, 2020
Having only made his debut in Round 15 on 4 September, the Lions Academy graduate will taste finals football sooner than club legends Michael Voss, Simon Black and Jonathan Brown – Voss was 55 games to his first final, Black 29 games and Brown 12 games.
Coleman, 20 years and 185 days old, will be the youngest member of the Lions qualifying final side tonight and will make his AFL finals debut alongside Brandon Starcevich and Callum Ah Chee.
Grant Birchall will play his first Lions Final and the 24th of a career that has included four premierships at Hawthorn.
The Lions finals side tonight sees five changes to that which played their last final against the GWS Giants last year – Mitch Robinson is back from injury to join Coleman, Starcevich, Ah Chee and Birchall in replacing Marcus Adams, Noah Answerth, Allen Christensen, Nick Robertson and Luke Hodge.