Australian Rules:  The former Laois full back Colm Begley is on the brink of making Australian rules history this weekend.

The 6ft 2in teenager from Stradbally has been named in the Brisbane Lions squad for Sunday's home fixture against the West Coast Eagles in Brisbane.

Begley will start on the interchange bench but is likely to play some part in the four quarters.

If that happens, Begley's would be the fastest Australian football league (AFL) debut of any Irishman, and another milestone is that in the process the Laois man would become the Lions' 100th AFL player.

Begley's progress has been nothing short of astonishing. The 19-year-old arrived in Australia before Christmas and played in the pre-season NAB Cup competition after only three months in Australia.

It was just his third Aussie rules match, and now after an impressive season in the rookie competition, Begley is set for the biggest stage.

The Lions coach Leigh Matthews admits he never expected the Irishman to make such rapid progress with the oval ball.

"Colm has made remarkable progress in his first season at Brisbane," Matthews said.

"He has worked very hard and achieved more than what we ever expected of him. He is a fantastic talent and we are very lucky to have him."

The man himself is doing his best to keep his feet on the ground.

"To make my AFL debut on Sunday would be a dream come true," Begley said.

"Hopefully, I will get to play a lot more games in the future."