The Western Bulldogs won't be afraid to throw their talented batch of draftees into the fray this season, with coach Brendan McCartney predicting "two or three" would debut in the first half of the year.
The Bulldogs took a powerful hand into November's NAB AFL Draft, with three picks inside the first 21.
They walked away with Jake Stringer and Jackson Macrae at picks five and six and Nathan Hrovat at no.21, along with father-son selection Lachlan Hunter at 49 and Josh Prudden at 50.
The top three selections all featured during the NAB Cup, with Macrae, a skilful left-footer from the Oakleigh Chargers, playing every match.
Small midfielder Hrovat made his first appearance in the club's final hitout against Richmond on Saturday, but was only subbed on in the final quarter.
And Stringer impressed in a short burst against Hawthorn, booting a brilliant goal with his first kick before rolling his ankle.
"I think you'll see quite a few of them playing this season," McCartney told AFL.com.au this week.
"Probably in the first half of the year you'll see two or three."
But the second-year coach cautioned against high expectations.
"Sometimes they come along quicker, and sometimes there's one who doesn't," he said.
"I've been involved with some great draft batches coming in, and one or two of them haven't played in their first year, but they've turned out to be all-time great players.
"So there's no timeframe on them.
"We just know if we can keep them injury-free and keep them ticking along, they'll progress a lot better when they're training and playing than when they're in rehab."
McCartney said Stringer had progressed well from his ankle injury.
"He's going well; it was just a rolled ankle, which was fortunate," he said.
"He's going to get some bruises along the way, because he plays the game in a very physical way, but he's an exciting young talent.
"He's very level and balanced, and I don't think the game's going to stress him too much – he can handle the mental side of it.
"So he's got an exciting future."
Dog draftees to play early
THE WESTERN Bulldogs won't be afraid to throw their talented batch of draftees into the fray this season, with coach Brendan McCartney predicting "two or three" would debut in the first half of the year.
