INS – Tomlinson, Brown
OUTS – Hibberd (managed), Lever (inj.), Jordon (Round 4 sub, omitted)
MELBOURNE has named its starting 22 as it prepares to head to Adelaide for Round 5.
The Demons will face the Bombers on Saturday 15th April in the league’s inaugural Gather Round, with all nine matches played in South Australia.
Jake Lever will miss the Saturday game due to ankle soreness, with GM AFL Football Performance Alan Richardson providing an update on the defender.
“Unfortunately, Jake is suffering from some soreness in his ankle, and we have decided to take a cautious approach, meaning he will miss this week’s match,” Richardson told Melbourne Media.
“Jake will continue to complete a modified training program, and we expect him to be available for our Round 6 match against Richmond.”
On Wednesday, Simon Goodwin confirmed that defender Michael Hibberd would also miss the Round 5 match.
“He’s had sore Achilles for a couple of weeks and we’re just going to make sure we get that right,” Goodwin said.
“We don’t need to be taking a risk with a player of his age at this stage of the season."
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Coming into the side is experienced defender Adam Tomlinson and Ben Brown, who returns to the starting 22 after a week on the sidelines with back soreness.
Brown spent the week working hard, with the tall forward putting in a strong display during the group’s main session on Wednesday.
James Jordon, who entered the game in Round 4 as the substitute, has been omitted from the team, but joins Bailey Laurie, Daniel Turner and Jake Melksham on the emergency list.
While tickets to the Saturday match are currently sold out, Dees fans in Adelaide will have the opportunity to attend an open training on Friday 14th April.
The session will take place at North Adelaide Football Club in Prospect, with the team to be on the track from approximately 2:30pm (local) to 3:15pm.
For those unable to attend, the game will be available to watch live from 3:40pm (local) via the Seven Network, Fox Footy and Kayo Sports.
Dees supporters can currently access a Melbourne Digital Membership that includes a 12-month Kayo subscription. Get yours here.
