2025 mid-season recruit Noah Howes will make his AFL debut on Sunday afternoon when the Pies travel to Perth to take on the West Coast Eagles.
Taken with pick 15, the versatile big man arrived from SANFL club South Adelaide. Drafted as a forward, the 196cm tall was kicking bags of goals for his state league side in 2025, and arrived at the Club as key position cover in attack.
In 2026 however, Howes has been deployed in a key back post in the VFL and has displayed strong form across 12 games this year.
In 22 total VFL games for the black and white, the 20-year-old averages 11 disposals and 4.1 marks per game.
He'll join a backline that will be led strongly by Billy Frampton and Isaac Quaynor this week, with veterans Darcy Moore, Brayden Maynard and Jeremy Howe all missing through injury.
Howes is the sixth Magpie to debut this year and fourth that has come out of the SANFL at some point in their career, joining Oscar Steene, Angus Anderson and Liam Puncher. Sam Swadling and Mitch Podhajksi are the other two Pies to debut in 2026.
The Pies' squad for Sunday's clash will be released at 6:20pm AEST on Thursday.
