Late nights on the training track and early morning’s on the work site will pay off for Ben McNiece on Tuesday, when he runs out for his first AFL game.

McNiece will make his debut in front of an expected crowd of around 80,000 people in the ANZAC Day clash against Collingwood.

After two years on the VFL list, McNiece earned a spot on the list as a category B rookie and in doing so he became Essendon’s inaugural Next Generation Academy player.

McNiece had initially missed out on a spot on the Essendon VFL list in previous seasons, but the strong defender never gave up, eventually earning a spot on the list before later becoming Vice-Captain.

“There are times when you’re spending long nights here, you get home at 10.30pm, eat your dinner and then I was going to (the work) site at 5am in the morning,” he said.

“You sort of think is it all worth it?

“There are blokes along the way and coaches as well that keep spurring you on so as much as it is me running out, I have plenty of people to thank for my journey.”

Coach John Worsfold told McNiece last week that he would be making his debut on ANZAC Day.

“I got a phone call from Woosh late Wednesday afternoon, giving me the good news. So got into the club Thursday and had plenty of text messages from all the boys, it’s really good to get involved with the senior team,” he said.

“It was a bit of a shock to see ‘John Worsfold’ come up on the phone, I straight away answered the call and had a smile from ear to ear when I found out the news.

“It’s a really special moment for myself. I’ve been looking forward to it for a few weeks now. I’m just really honoured to debut on ANZAC Day.

“Playing in front of the VFL crowd for the last couple of years, (this is) obviously a lot bigger crowd.

“It’s such a huge day but a few of the boys have given me a few pointers here and there. I’ll be taking it all in, trying to embrace everything and play my role for the team.”

McNiece said the Bombers have embraced the occasion in the lead up to what is the most anticipated home and away match of the season.

“Obviously there has been a big build up with the ten day break,” he said.

“We went out to the shrine on Thursday and met Jack Jones out there. He took us through a few things, so it was a really special moment to have someone who has been through it all and sacrificed so much.”