MELBOURNE will unveil its fifth debutant this year when midfielder Jordan Gysberts plays his first AFL match against Geelong at Skilled Stadium on Saturday.

The 18-year-old was selected at No.11 in last year's NAB AFL Draft and has been touted as an integral part of Melbourne's engine room long-term.

The inside midfielder was both thrilled and nervous when coach Dean Bailey, flanked by assistant coaches Mark Williams and Scott West, told Gysberts he would be heading down the highway for his first AFL appearance. 
 
"I'm pretty excited at the moment. It'll be good to come up against Geelong with a pretty good midfield," Gysberts told melbournefc.com.au.

"It's a pretty big step up from junior footy. It's taken a bit to get used to, with some bigger bodies and I'm sure that'll be the case with the AFL, where it'll be [even] quicker.

"It's good to see some hard work pay off."

Gysberts said he had settled into the club quickly and said Demon leader Brent Moloney had been instrumental in his development.

"Everyone has been really welcoming and goes out of their way to help you.

"Brent takes a lot of the young kids under their wing and does a lot with us. Me, [Jack] Trengove and [Tom] Scully do a lot of touch [ball work] together before training and on our days off.

"He's approachable and always offers his time with us."

Before becoming a Demon, Gysberts represented Vic Metro in the NAB AFL under-18 championships in 2008-09 and averaged 23 disposals per match in last year's TAC Cup.

He said his time from an elite under-age player to Melbourne had flown.

"It seems as though it's gone really quick. It just feels like the other day that I got drafted and I was making my debut, so it's gone really quick," Gysberts said.