MELBOURNE defender Alex Georgiou has been upgraded to the senior list ahead of the club's round one clash against St Kilda on Saturday night.
The Demons have placed Mitch Clark, who has been given leave by the club, onto the long-term injury list.
Georgiou displayed solid form in the NAB Challenge, holding down a key defensive post – even at the height of 187cm – in the absence of injured backman Colin Garland (ankle).
The mature age rookie, who turned 24 in February, forced his way into the Demons' pre-season side and has excellent ability to stick to his task and play on tall and small opponents.
There is a strong likelihood he will make his AFL debut against the Saints, after being brought in as security by the Demons when they selected him with pick No. 35 in last year's rookie draft.
It is a far cry from his early days at Norwood, when he struggled to break into the SANFL club's under-19 side.
But the arrival of dual premiership coach Nathan Bassett, now an assistant coach at Essendon, in 2010 was the turning point for Georgiou.
Georgiou made his league debut for the Redlegs the following year and didn't look back, playing in the club's back-to-back premierships in 2012 and 2013.
"It was when Nathan came on board that he really took him under his wing a little bit more and certainly helped him in his development," Norwood football manager Mark Ross told AFL.com.au.
"He became, not only a good defender that never got beaten, but he became an outstanding leader as well.
"It's fantastic that he's been given the opportunity and we hope he really goes well."
Affectionately known to his Norwood teammates as 'Presti' – (named after stingy Collingwood defender Simon Prestigiacomo), Georgiou was renowned for his work in one-on-one contests. As Ross put it, "he actually defends, he doesn't stand in space".
While no-one doubted his ability to defend, last year he started to offer more when his team had the ball.
He was aware of his limitations, but started to make wise choices – regularly hitting up 25m targets.
Georgiou averaged 15 disposals per game in the NAB Challenge series for the Demons, exhibiting some of this newfound confidence.
If he is picked for the game of Saturday night, Ross said the popular Georgiou would be inundated by congratulatory text messages from those at Norwood.
"We wish him well and hopefully he will do us proud," Ross said.
