He will make his debut with the Selkirk Roosters against Geelong at Ballarat’s Eureka Stadium on Friday night.

Perry will get his first taste at this level on an historic occasion for football and sport in Ballarat.

This is the first game on the the new-look ground, which has been redeveloped to pave the way for the Western Bulldogs to play AFL home and away matches at the venue from next year.

The playing arena has been reconfigured to the same size as Etihad Stadium with new lights in readiness for the next phase  – construction of a grandstand.

Perry has been named the 23^rd man and is the second Maryborough youngster in his first year on the Roosters’ list to get coach Marc Greig’s nod.

He joins Bailey Edwards, who spent last year with Bendigo Pioneers in the TAC Cup under-18 competition.

Perry had a stand-out season with Maryborough in the Bendigo Football League in 2015, winning the Magpies’ best and fairest.

Perry is one of two inclusions with experienced ruckman Orren Stephenson, who makes a long awaited return to line up against his former team.

Stephenson is the Roosters’ most experienced player, being a three-time premiership player and having played with Geelong and Richmond in the AFL.

He injured a hamstring in a practice match, forcing him to miss the first two rounds of the VFL season.

Stephenson’s return is timely as North Ballarat’s injuries continue to mount.

The Roosters have lost onballer/forward Lachie George to a calf injury and young defender Sam Hooper with bruised ribs for the Geelong assignment – setbacks they cannot afford.

While North Ballarat goes into this match with a win over Coburg and big loss to Essendon, Geelong is yet to taste success.

The Cats had a bye in the opening round and then lost to the Northern Blues.