Essendon draftee Brayden Ham will make his AFL debut in this afternoon’s Kick for the Kids game against North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium following the late withdrawal of midfielder David Zaharakis.

Zaharakis has failed to overcome the infected cut on his knee that disrupted his training throughout the week.

It is a deserved reward for Ham, who has impressed in his short time at The Hangar since being drafted with pick 72 in November’s NAB AFL Draft. 

Ham put together a strong season as an overage prospect for Geelong Falcons last year, finishing second in the side’s best and fairest to eventual number-one pick Sam Walsh after booting 22 goals from 16 games and being named among his side’s best players 10 times.

He played predominantly across half-forward and on the ball, but he has been terrific in a new role running off half-back for Essendon’s VFL side this year.

A brilliant performance for the team in round one, where he gathered 19 disposals, 10 inside 50s and a goal, saw him earn a spot as an emergency this week.

Senior coach John Worsfold was full of praise for the 19-year-old when the team was announced on Thursday.

“He’s done a lot of his work across half-back, which is a fairly new position for him,” Worsfold said.

“He’s super quick, a great runner, uses the ball really well and looks very composed.

“Everything he’s done so far has been very impressive."

The late change comes after another was announced earlier this afternoon, with star forward Joe Daniher set to make his long-awaited return, replacing ruckman Zac Clarke who suffered a calf bleed overnight. 

The first bounce is set for 4:20pm.