He might still only look slight, but Elliot Yeo’s proven versatility and athletic ability have earned him a place in the Lions’ senior team for this Sunday’s match against North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.

Yeo (whose surname is pronounced “YO”) averaged 14 disposals per game for Western Australia during last year’s AFL U18 Championships, but shot to prominence after an outstanding AFL Draft Combine.

The 18 year-old showcased his athletic ability by leading the way in both the agility run (7.80 seconds) and standing vertical jump (78cm), as well as recording an impressive 2.91 seconds in the 20m sprint.

His qualities highlighted a particular need at the Lions, and he was swiftly picked up with the Club’s end-of-first-round Compensation Selection (Pick No.30 overall) at last year's AFL National Draft.

In his first official outing in the maroon, blue and gold, Yeo put on an eye-catching display during the team’s opening NAB Cup match against Melbourne, collecting 13 disposals in the shortened match.

He has since plied his trade with the Lions Reserves, where he has developed into a multi-talented prospect.

“We’ve been really pleased with the way he’s been varying up his position on the field,” Reserves Coach Nathan Clarke told lions.com.au recently.

“When he first started, we used him primarily on the wing. But recently he’s played more as an inside midfielder who can also play across half-forward and half-back as needed.”

“He was probably a bit spent after playing regularly throughout the NAB Cup, but he has well and truly overcome that and is looking sprightly again.”

Yeo will become the 1,393rd player to represent the Club in a senior VFL/AFL match (Fitzroy and Bears included), the 144th player to represent the merged Brisbane Lions since 1997, and the 46th person to wear the Number 26 Lions guernsey in a senior game.

A complete list of the previous Club Number 26’s is provided below:

Roy Millen (Fitzroy) - 99 games
Keith Stackpole (Fitzroy) - 84
Jack Gaffney (Fitzroy) - 80
Joel Macdonald (Lions) - 80
Ian Fleming (Fitzroy) - 64
Danny Noonan (Bears) - 55
Glenn Robertson (Fitzroy) - 50
Eric Clark (Fitzroy) - 31
Rodney Eade (Bears) - 26
Craig Bolton (Lions) - 29
Cec Rheinberger (Fitzroy) - 27
Peter Burke (Fitzroy) - 26
David Johnston (Fitzroy) - 25
Bob Beattie (Fitzroy) - 23
Tom Strownix (Fitzroy) - 19
Leo Monaghan (Fitzroy) - 16
Des Herbert (Fitzroy) - 14
Stan Molan (Fitzroy) - 14
Ryan Harwood (Lions) - 13
Tim Godfrey (Fitzroy) - 10
John Barker (Lions) - 8
Justin McGrath (Fitzroy) - 8
Max Cole (Fitzroy) - 6
Gordon Rattray (Fitzroy) - 6
Shannon Corcoran (Bears) - 5
Don Hammond (Fitzroy) - 5
Phonse Hayes (Fitzroy) - 5
Austin Hogan (Fitzroy) - 5
Matthew Manfield (Fitzroy) - 5
Stuart Glascott (Bears) - 4
Ken Chambers (Fitzroy) - 4
Les Russell (Fitzroy) - 4
Keith Fleming (Fitzroy) - 3
Laurie Crouch (Fitzroy) - 2
Roy Henry (Fitzroy) - 2
Tom Laurenson (Fitzroy) - 2
Keith MacLeod (Fitzroy) - 2
Alan Wilson (Fitzroy) - 2
Nick Beardsley (Fitzroy) - 1
Col Crawford (Fitzroy) - 1
Lindsay Fricker (Fitzroy) - 1
John Hayes (Fitzroy) - 1
Steven Newman (Fitzroy) - 1
Frank Raymond (Fitzroy) - 1
Phil Rochow (Fitzroy) - 1
Elliot Yeo (Lions) - 0*