This Saturday night a long awaited dream is going to become a reality for a young Geelong Cat who’s been patiently waiting on the sidelines to make his debut.

Ahead of the battle against the Dockers, local youngster from Leopold, Jed Bews, has finally received the nod from Chris Scott.

For the first time since being plucked from the 2011 draft under the father-son rule, Bews will hit the road to Perth as a senior Cat. As the son of former Geelong captain, Andrew Bews, Geelong was able to secure the 17-year-old at pick 86.

Having spent over two years doing the hard yards of developing his craft on and off the field, now Bews has the chance to add to his father’s tally of 207 games at Geelong. It’s a goal that the young defender has been waiting to achieve for a long time.

“That’s the No.1 goal, to play AFL,” Bews told News Limited back in March 2014.??

“I’m not here to play VFL, we’re here to play AFL, so that’s the target – to get in as soon as I can and do it the right way, the Geelong way, which has been drilled into us from the moment we arrived.”

The defensive role Bews hopes to emulate is that of past player Josh Hunt.

“I’m not as strong or as big as (Hunt), but playing that lockdown role on the small forwards is something I’m looking at,” Bews explained.

At the beginning of last year Bews was hampered with injury until July. Luckily for Bews, his injured foot didn’t prevent him from showcasing his worth as a player. Having seen what he's capable of, Assistant coach Dale Amos too believes he has the attributes to take on a similar role to Hunt's old job in the Cats backline.

“When he was able to string some games together, I thought he showed some signs that he'll develop into a small and powerful defender, in a similar mold to what Josh Hunt has been for us in the past,” Amos explained.  

“He's got similar attributes to Josh – a burst of speed and strength over the ball.”

Overall Bews has played 42 VFL games, two VFL Grand Finals and was part of the VFL Premiers team in 2012.

Despite being the son of number 27, the young Cat will slip on the number 24 guernsey before running out onto the big stage to make his own mark.

He admits his father has been an inspiration, however he’s determined to create his own story as a Geelong footballer.

“Yeah he's been a big influence but has let me forge my own path,” Bews said earlier this year.