INS – van Rooyen (AFL debut), May, Jordon, Hibberd
OUTS – Gawn (injury), Harmes (personal leave), McDonald (omitted), Tomlinson (omitted), Melksham (Round 2 sub, omitted)
MELBOURNE has named its final team to take on the Swans, with four Demons welcomed into the side ahead of Round 3.
As announced yesterday, young forward Jacob van Rooyen will make his AFL debut, the 19-year-old set for his first game at the top level.
Van Rooyen’s call-up comes after making a quick impression in his initial year at the club, kicking 36 goals across 15 games during his time in the VFL.
Senior coach Simon Goodwin said he was thrilled to give van Rooyen the opportunity on the big stage.
“He’s got pretty good cohesion with this group already,” Goodwin said.
“One thing you can say from big Rooey is his ability to compete aerially, he goes at the ball hard, he creates a contest and his follow-up at ground-level is exceptional.”
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Steven May, James Jordon and Michael Hibberd will all line-up for the first time this season.
May returns after missing the first two rounds of 2023 due to a minor calf injury, with the star defender set to strengthen Melbourne’s backline as they prepare to face Sydney’s experienced forwards.
“We need his leadership, we need his ability to win one-on-one contests,” Goodwin said.
“He’s a really important player to us…it’s exciting for us.”
Jordon and Hibberd have been called upon for the Sydney match after standout displays during Casey’s 37-point win in the VFL last weekend.
Max Gawn (injury), James Harmes (personal leave), Tom McDonald (omitted), Adam Tomlinson (omitted), Jake Melksham (omitted) have not been named in the starting Sunday team.
Melksham and McDonald, alongside Luke Dunstan and Bailey Laurie, have been named on the side’s emergency list, with one of the four players to be confirmed as the tactical substitute an hour before the first bounce.
This weekend, Melbourne will join forces with charity partner The Reach Foundation in the club’s annual ‘Round for Reach’.
Melbourne’s connection with Reach runs deep, with club great Jim Stynes co-founding the organisation that works with young Australians in building the skills to navigate life’s challenges.
This year, Reach is calling on people to help ‘Kick Start Change’, with funding to go towards preventative mental health initiatives.
Supporters heading to the game will have the opportunity to witness Reach’s biggest ever mental health workshop, with a facilitator set to connect with thousands of fans from the middle of the MCG.
The workshop will occur just before 3pm (AEST), so fans are encouraged to head down to the MCG early, with tickets to the 3:20pm match available here.
Supporters who are unable to attend the game will be able to watch live via the Seven Network, Fox Footy and Kayo Sports. Dees fans can currently access a Digital Melbourne Membership that includes a 12-month Kayo subscription.
See below for the full Round 3 team.
