ESSENDON v ST KILDA

Essendon

B: Heath Hocking, Dustin Fletcher, Courtenay Dempsey

HB: Mark McVeigh, Michael Hurley, Kyle Reimers

C: David Zaharakis, Jobe Watson, Travis Colyer

HF: Kyle Hardingham, Scott Gumbleton, Brent Stanton

F: Angus Monfries, Jay Neagle, Sam Lonergan

Foll: Patrick Ryder, Bachar Houli, Ben Howlett

I/C: Cale Hooker, Alwyn Davey, David Hille, Brent Prismall

Emg: Leroy Jetta, David Myers, Nathan Lovett-Murray

In: Hille, Lonergan

Out: Jason Winderlich (hand), Leroy Jetta

  • No massive surprises here as Essendon had already flagged their intentions coming into this game. Hille returns after missing seven games, whilst Winderlich has been put in for surgery. Surprisingly, NLM did not get a recall after impressing in the VFL.
  • Also, watch the final teams for this game as Jobe Watson is coming in under a lot of injury speculation.

St Kilda

B: Zac Dawson, Jason Blake, Sam Gilbert

HB: Jason Gram, Sam Fisher, James Gwilt

C: Brendon Goddard, Nick Dal Santo, Farren Ray

HF: Clinton Jones, Justin Koschitzke, Leigh Montagna

F: Tom Lynch, Nick Riewoldt, Stephen Milne

Foll: Michael Gardiner, Lenny Hayes, Adam Schneider

I/C: Jack Steven, Ben McEvoy, Brett Peake, Sean Dempster

Emg: Adam Pattison, Jarryn Geary, Andrew McQualter

In: Lynch

Out: Andrew McQualter

New: Tom Lynch (Sandringham Dragons)

  • As a Saints supporter, I must admit I am VERY excited about the debut of Tom Lynch – he is the type of player the Saints have been crying out for for the past year and a half (a third tall forward), but has had to bide his time developing in the VFL before getting a chance in the seniors. In juniors he was personally coached by Stewie Loewe and played at the CHF to Jack Watts’ full-forward. He is a fast leading player with good hands and a good kick, but prides himself on his aggression and tackling. All Saints fans dubbed him the next Aaron Hamill when he walked through the door, so there is little wonder why we will be an excited bunch to see him on Friday night. His junior numbers are also very good, suggesting he will be reasonable at Dream Team.
  • McQualter makes way (a few weeks too late) and will likely find the going tough to push back into the side.
  • Keep an eye on Montagna for a late withdrawal.

COLLINGWOOD v CARLTON

Collingwood

B: Nick Maxwell, Simon Prestigiacomo, Ben Reid

HB: Harry O’Brien, Tyson Goldsack, Alan Toovey

C: Sharrod Wellingham, Dane Swan, Jarryd Blair

HF: Luke Ball, Travis Cloke, Leon Davis

F: Dayne Beams, Leigh Brown, Steele Sidebottom

Foll: Darren Jolly, Scott Pendlebury, Dale Thomas

I/C: Alan Didak, Ben Johnson, Brent Macaffer, Chris Dawes

Emg: Tarkyn Lockyer, Josh Fraser, Simon Buckley

In: Cloke

Out: Tarkyn Lockyer

  • Despite Collingwood acting coy as to whether Cloke would play this week, it is no surprise to see him named, nor is it a surprise to see Lockyer dropped. Whilst Tarkyn has been decent over the past month, he is clearly on the outer at the Pies.

Carlton

B: Aaron Joseph, Michael Jamison, Paul Bower

HB: Andrew Carrazzo, Jarrad Waite, Jordan Russell

C: Heath Scotland, Chris Judd, Shaun Grigg

HF: Kade Simpson, Brad Fisher, Andrew Walker

F: Eddie Betts, Lachie Henderson, Shaun Hampson

Foll: Robert Warnock, Bryce Gibbs, Marc Murphy

I/C: Dennis Armfield, Jeff Garlett, Chris Johnson, Chris Yarran

Emg: Marcus Davies, David Ellard, Mitch Robinson

In: Fisher

Out: David Ellard

  • Ellard is probably a bit stiff to miss (but may be a late inclusion for Dennis Armfield who is not quite 100% after his big his last week), whilst Fisher is a good news story coming back into the team. Fisher is a great marking forward – unfortunately it is his accuracy in front of the sticks and his workrate that have been questioned. He is coming back from LARS knee surgery on the ACL he blew in the NAB cup. He has played several VFL games though so should be fit. Probably too pricey to bring in though.

PORT ADELAIDE v HAWTHORN

Port Adelaide

B: Paul Stewart, Alipate Carlile, Nick Salter

HB: Nathan Krakouer, Troy Chaplin, Matt Thomas

C: Kane Cornes, Domenic Cassisi, Travis Boak

HF: Cameron Hitchcock, Jay Schulz, David Rodan

F: Justin Westhoff, Daniel Stewart, Brett Ebert

Foll: Dean Brogan, Danyle Pearce, Robbie Gray

I/C: Mitchell Banner, Matthew Broadbent, Andrew Moore, Jack Trengove

Emg: Jasper Pittard, Danny Meyer, Scott Harding

In: Krakouer, Trengove

Out: Tom Logan (concussion), Josh Carr (retired)

  • Krakouer has passed his fitness test and will finally return to the squad, whilst Trengove is the other good inclusion.
  • We say goodbye to Josh Carr, but don’t thank him for all the incredible tagging jobs he did on our Dream Team captains over the years…

Hawthorn

B: Brent Guerra, Stephen Gilham, Thomas Murphy

HB: Grant Birchall, Josh Gibson, Ben Stratton

C: Jordan Lewis, Sam Mitchell, Clinton Young

HF: Chance Bateman, Lance Franklin, Shaun Burgoyne

F: Cyril Rioli, Jarryd Roughead, Michael Osborne

Foll: Brent Renouf, Luke Hodge, Brad Sewell   

I/C: Xavier Ellis, Rick Ladson, Wayde Skipper, Brendan Whitecross

Emg: Shane Savage, Ryan Schoenmakers, Matt Suckling

In: Ladson

Out: Campbell Brown (suspension)

  • Brown will miss two weeks with suspension and Ladson will come into his spot.

SYDNEY SWANS v GEELONG CATS

Sydney Swans

B: Paul Bevan, Ted Richards, Martin Mattner

HB: Nick Malceski, Heath Grundy, Tadhg Kennelly

C: Daniel Hannebery, Brett Kirk, Jarrad McVeigh

HF: Ryan O’Keefe, Jesse White, Josh Kennedy

F: Ben McGlynn, Adam Goodes, Jarred Moore

Foll: Shane Mumford, Jude Bolton, Kieren Jack

I/C: Lewis Jetta, Brett Meredith, Mike Pyke, Rhyce Shaw

Emg: Trent Dennis-Lane, Sam Reid, Patrick Veszpremi

No change

Geelong Cats

B: Darren Milburn, Matthew Scarlett, Josh Hunt

HB: Andrew Mackie, Harry Taylor, Corey Enright

C: James Kelly, Cameron Ling, Gary Ablett

HF: Shannon Byrnes, Cameron Mooney, Travis Varcoe

F: Paul Chapman, Tom Hawkins, Steve Johnson

Foll: Brad Ottens, Joel Selwood, Joel Corey

I/C: David Wojcinski, Mathew Stokes, Tom Lonergan, Trent West

Emg: Taylor Hunt, Simon Hogan, Daniel Menzel

In: Byrnes, West, Hawkins

Out: James Podsiadly (soreness), Jimmy Bartel (ankle), Mark Blake

  • We knew it was coming, but when you finally see it on paper it is a blow – Pods is being rested again after he commented through the week that the long season was certainly taking a toll on him. Geelong want him 100% for the finals, and with Hawkins’ return, there is no point pushing him.
  • Bartel, to many, will be an even bigger blow thanks to the lack of good midfield bench options. He will hopefully miss just the one week, but be sure to brace yourself as the likes of Chapman, Enright and Ablett are rested over the next fortnight, as anticipated by Bomber Thompson.

BRISBANE LIONS v MELBOURNE

Brisbane Lions

B: Xavier Clarke, Daniel Merrett, Ashley McGrath

HB: Luke Power, Brent Staker, Joel Patfull

C: Jack Redden, Daniel Rich, Tom Rockliff

HF: James Polkinghorne, Jonathan Brown, Albert Proud

F: Jared Brennan, Brendan Fevola, Todd Banfield

Foll: Mitchell Clark, Simon Black, Michael Rischitelli

I/C: Pearce Hanley, Cheynee Stiller, Ryan Harwood, Matthew Leuenberger

Emg: James Hawksley, Aaron Cornelius, Justin Sherman

In: McGrath, Clarke, Stiller, Black

Out: Amon Buchanan (quad), Matt Maguire, James Hawksley, Aaron Cornelius

  • Whilst Brisbane haven’t been one to go light at the selection table this year, this week certainly offers up a few surprises – in a week where they are clearly trying to make a statement by dropping Maguire, Hawksley and Cornelius, they bizarrely didn’t drop Fevola!
  • McGrath and Black return, but the big story is the first game of Xavier Clarke for his new club. Clarke crossed from St.Kilda in last year’s trade week and came with a broken body, having ruptured his ACL early in 2009 after many series of hamstring issues. It is great to see him back on the park, but maintain plenty of speculation about his body holding up – he has had a rough career to date – every time he looks like he is reaching form, he suddenly re-injures himself. He is a mega bargain, but personally i think he is not worth the risk.

Melbourne

B: Colin Garland, Jared Rivers, Clint Bartram

HB: Cameron Bruce, James Frawley, Joel Macdonald

C: Rohan Bail, James McDonald, Brad Green

HF: Lynden Dunn, Jack Watts, Tom Scully

F: Jamie Bennell, Paul Johnson, Austin Wonaeamirri

Foll: Mark Jamar, Colin Sylvia, Aaron Davey

I/C: Jordie McKenzie, Cale Morton, Liam Jurrah, Nathan Jones

Emg: Addam Maric, Matthew Warnock, Jack Trengove

In: James McDonald

Out: Addam Maric

  • McDonald is the only inclusion into the side that thumped Sydney on the weekend. The real surprise is seeing Trengove on the bench though – surely he is not far away!

RICHMOND v ADELAIDE

Richmond

B: Chris Newman, Luke McGuane, Will Thursfield

HB: Brett Deledio, Kelvin Moore, Daniel Connors

C: Mitch Morton, Dustin Martin, Shane Edwards

HF: Ben Nason, Andrew Collins, Jake King

F: Matt White, Jack Riewoldt, David Astbury

Foll: Angus Graham, Shane Tuck, Daniel Jackson

I/C (from): Ben Cousins, Andrew Browne, Mitch Farmer, Jeromey Webberley, Alex Rance, Robbie Hicks, Troy Taylor

In: Moore, White, Jackson, Thursfield, Taylor, Hicks

Out: Dean Polo, Robin Nahas, Jayden Post

New: Robbie Hicks (Calder Cannons/Rookie list)

  • Another wealth of changes for Richmond, with forgotten man Troy Taylor making a comeback (sorry kids, no Relton Roberts) and debutant Robbie Hicks named on the extended bench. Hicks is a small forward (a VERY small forward; 176cm and 67kg) who averaged 11 disposals (8.5 of those uncontested) through the TAC cup and kicked nearly 2 goals a game. Small forwards can be good DT scorers, but i feel that Hicks may just be a bit too small to play yet at senior level. Keeps tabs on him certainly, but this is not the time of year to be picking up speculative rookies.

Adelaide

B: Michael Doughty, Ben Rutten, Scott Stevens

HB: Brent Reilly, Nathan Bock, Nathan van Berlo

C: Rory Sloane, Scott Thompson, David Mackay

HF: Ricky Henderson, Taylor Walker, Matthew Jaensch

F: Jason Porplyzia, Kurt Tippett, Richard Douglas

Foll: Ivan Maric, Bernie Vince, Patrick Dangerfield

I/C (from): Tony Armstrong, Phil Davis, Jonathon Griffin, Jack Gunston, Chris Schmidt, James Sellar, Brad Symes

In: Sellar, Schmidt, Davis, Gunston

Out: Graham Johncock (suspension)

  • Adelaide have returned to the well of youth, topping the team up with youngsters Sellar, Schmidt, Davis (WHY was he dropped!?) and Gunston.
  • The only omission so far is Johncock, who has been suspended for one week.

WESTERN BULLDOGS v NORTH MELBOURNE

Western Bulldogs

B: Jarrod Harbrow, Brian Lake, Dale Morris

HB: Ryan Hargrave, Tom Williams, Lindsay Gilbee

C: Daniel Cross, Matthew Boyd, Liam Picken

HF: Robert Murphy, Liam Jones, Brad Johnson

F: Jarrad Grant, Barry Hall, Shaun Higgins

Foll: Ben Hudson, Ryan Griffen, Adam Cooney

I/C (from): Dylan Addison, Nathan Eagleton, Andrejs Everitt, Daniel Giansiracusa, Brodie Moles, Jordan Roughead, Easton Wood

In: Dylan Addison, Andrejs Everitt, Liam Jones, Nathan Eagleton

Out: Callan Ward (hip)

New: Liam Jones (Tasmania U18)

  • The Doggies have said a couple of times this week that they are looking forward to giving Jones his first game and that is exactly what they have done here, naming him at CHF. Jones is a 195cm key position forward and was highly rated when he came to the Dogs at the end of 2008. He is still relatively light, so don’t expect him to score very much, but with his athleticism and AFL heritage, there is a very good chance he will be a good player for years to come.

North Melbourne

B: Michael Firrito, Scott Thompson, Brady Rawlings

HB: Jamie MacMillan, Josh Smith, Scott McMahon

C: Leigh Adams, Brent Harvey, Sam Wright

HF: Matt Campbell, Aaron Edwards, Ben Speight

F: Ben Cunnington, Lachlan Hansen, Lindsay Thomas

Foll: Hamish McIntosh, Andrew Swallow, Levi Greenwood

I/C: Ed Lower, Todd Goldstein, Ryan Bastinac, Brayden Norris, Marcus White, Leigh Harding, Gavin Urquhart

In: McMahon, Thomas, White, Wright, Norris

Out: David Hale , Ben Warren (back)

New: Marcus White (Calder Cannons/Rookie list), Brayden Norris (Murray Bushrangers)

  • The Roos have now all but resigned to missing the finals, but it means they will give more youngsters a game. Speight and Macmillan get a second run, whilst White and Norris will debut if they make the final cut from the extended bench.
  • Norris is an athletic mid with a super tank, reaching an impressive 15.06 in the beep test at Draft Camp. He isn’t necessarily a big ball winner, averaging just 15 disposals in the TAC cup, playing mainly on a HFF, but Bastinac has already shown us this year that he is able to turn a big tank into a decent footballer.
  • White is in his second year on the Roos rookie list and is a midfielder. He played VFL last year for North Ballarat as a tagger, a role which may prove to have adverse effects on his DT scoring at AFL level. Watch to see where Brad Scott plays him first, but don’t be expecting a very attacking role.

FREMANTLE v WEST COAST EAGLES

Fremantle

B: Chris Tarrant, Antoni Grover, Greg Broughton

HB: Justin Bollenhagen, Luke McPharlin, Roger Hayden

C: Garrick Ibbotson, David Mundy, Nathan Fyfe

HF: Jay van Berlo, Matthew Pavlich, Stephen Hill

F: Adam McPhee, Michael Johnson, Hayden Ballantyne

Foll: Aaron Sandilands, Nick Suban, Paul Duffield

I/C (from): Michael Walters, Dylan Roberton, Matthew de Boer, Paul Hasleby, Jesse Crichton, Anthony Morabito, Kepler Bradley

In: Bradley, Mundy, Walters, Bollenhagen, Tarrant

Out: Rhys Palmer (shoulder), Clancee Pearce (knee)

New: Justin Bollenhagen (South Adelaide)

  • Bollenhagen is again named to play (I talked about him in last week’s article), but this time is named on the field, so will definitely line up. Palmer and Pearce will miss, whilst Harvey complained during the week that he had too many first and second year players in the squad. Therefore, the likes of Crichton, de Boer, Roberton and Waters must be a little nervous with their names on the extended bench.
  • Mundy will also return after being a late withdrawal last week with stomach cramps.

West Coast Eagles

B: Will Schofield, Eric MacKenzie, Ashley Smith

HB: Beau Waters, Mitchell Brown, Shannon Hurn

C: Brad Ebert, Matt Priddis, Matt Rosa

HF: Andrew Embley, Josh Kennedy, Andrew Strijk

F: Mark LeCras, Quinten Lynch, Nic Naitanui

Foll: Dean Cox, Chris Masten, Scott Selwood

I/C (from): Brett Jones, Patrick McGinnity, Ben McKinley, Brad Sheppard, Lewis Stevenson, Tom Swift, Callum Wilson

In: McKinley, Jones, Wilson, Swift, McGinnity

Out: Adam Selwood (shoulder), Ashton Hams (suspension)

  • Hams is gone for three weeks with suspension, whilst Selwood may miss a couple.
  • A raft of inclusions are named, but expect Jones, Swift and McGinnity to be the few with any chance of playing.
  • Once again, no Koby Stevens – in fact, he doesn’t even make the emergency list.