Aaron Francis will make his highly anticipated debut this Sunday after seven games with the Essendon VFL.

Here's what we've noticed about so far from his performances in the VFL. 

The goal:

We all saw it; it went viral and near crashed our social media. Francis was swung forward in the second half against Werribee to showcasing highly valued versatility and kicked three goals from 15 disposals. His goal from deep in the pocket after shrugging off two tacklers and kicking on the outside of the right boot will be a contender for the VFL goal of the year.

Marks:

Demand for Francis to make his debut was at fever-pitch following the round 13 game against Port Melbourne. The youngster took a game-high 13 marks and seemed to be a constant road block to the Borough’s forward thrusts. He finished the day with 19 disposals, seven tackles and five rebound 50’s.

Game #2:

We knew we had a special talent on our hands already since he was taken pick 6 in last year’s draft, but his second game in against Richmond as the curtain raiser to ‘Dreamtime at the ‘G’ gave Dons fans their first taste in red and black. His renowned intercept marking was on full display at Punt Road Oval, taking 11 marks to go with his 22 disposals and playing a huge role in the Bombers win.

Dash:

You won’t see this on any stats sheets, but as his confidence has grown throughout his seven games at VFL level, so has his run and carry. Seeing Francis take possession of the ball and take the opposition on has been a highlight of his game. Many of the opposition have come off second best and receiving a strong fend off from the defender.

Resilience:

Was starting to string some good form together but had a quiet game two weeks ago against Frankston. His ability to bounce back immediately with a great performance last week against Box Hill is a great sign for the future and one that earned him his call up for the senior debut.

VFL Stats - 2016:

Games Played: 7

AVG. Disp: 14

Goals: 3

AVG. Marks: 7

AVG. Tackles: 2

AVG. R50s: 3