GREATER Western Sydney top draft selection Jonathon Patton is set to make his AFL debut against Richmond in round 12 at Skoda Stadium.

The 19-year-old, who was the first pick in last year's NAB AFL Draft, has not played senior football yet because of a knee complaint.

He travelled to Stockholm for surgery on his patella tendon in the pre-season, and has played three games in the NEAFL recently.

Coach Kevin Sheedy said Patton had been told he would debut in a fortnight.

"He'll come in against Richmond and we've let him know that," Sheedy told AFL.com.au's Access All Areas on Friday.

"He'll play on the weekend again [in the NEAFL} and it would be better for him to play against Richmond at our stadium.

"He needs to train to get to there. We don't want to be rushing players back … and he'll be ready to go in a couple of weeks."

Meanwhile, Sheedy revealed he wanted to continue coaching the Giants next year.

The veteran coach is out of contract at the end of this season and it has been touted his senior assistant Mark Williams is primed to step into the role full time.

But Sheedy has ambitions of his own.

"Of course I would [want to coach on in 2013]," he said.

"I think it's an exciting challenge. The club and I will sit down probably in another couple of months and have a talk about it.

"It's an enormous period of coaching kids from 17 and a half years of age … it's a totally different build. It's not like coaching Essendon.

"[Drive] isn't a problem for me. I've got energy."

Sheedy said he would sign on again if he continued to think the club was "on the right track and going to do the right thing".

He also backed Gold Coast's recent decision to extend coach Guy McKenna's contact by two years, such was the nature of coaching a young team and the challenges that presented.

"We're going to be in the bottom four this year and probably most likely next year like, say, Gold Coast are [this year]," he said.

"If everybody's on the same page and understanding of that, and that's why I think in the end Gold Coast and the AFL have done the right thing by McKenna.

"I think it's the correct thing to do."

Click here to view Patton's profile

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs.

Jennifer Witham is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow her on Twitter @AFL_JenWitham.