West Coast will hand an eighth player an AFL debut on Friday night when Naitanui Academy graduate Malakai Champion takes on Greater Western Sydney.

Champion is set to take the sub vest with the Eagles likely to drop former Demons winger Jayden Hunt for the clash at Optus Stadium.

Less than a week after forward Jobe Shanahan earned league-wide praise on debut, Champion will become the fifth of West Coast’s 2024 draftees to earn his wings.

The 172cm small forward was drafted from Subiaco as a Category B rookie after impressing at the draft combine, ranking fifth on the 20m sprint (2.94 seconds) and second on the agility test (7.84 seconds).

Those attributes have been clear to see at WAFL level with Champion earning goalsneak status with seven goals in 11 WAFL outings.

Fittingly, Champion also comes from Kalgoorlie, playing his first game just days after fellow Goldfields product and Eagles grand final hero Dom Sheed announced his retirement.

Archer Reid, Sandy Brock, Hamish Davis, Tom Gross, Bo Allan, Tom McCarthy and Shanahan have all debuted so far in 2025.

Champion was the sixth player to be drafted out of the academy to the Eagles and is the third to make a senior debut after Jarrod Cameron and Tyrell Dewar.

The Eagles will also celebrate NAIDOC week in round 17, wearing the club’s First Nations jumper that featured during Sir Doug Nicholls round and the club’s only victory this season against St Kilda.