MELBOURNE will enter Sunday’s clash against the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium unchanged, after confirming its final 22 on Friday.
Coach Simon Goodwin said the side that gained a four-point win over Collingwood at the MCG last Monday had earned the right to remain the same team for round 13.
“We’re going in this week unchanged,” he told Melbourne TV.
“We’re trying to reward behaviours and reward performance and I thought the boys last Monday were outstanding.
“We’re going with the same mix and the same ruck set-up, so unchanged.”
On Thursday night, Melbourne included ruckman Jake Spencer, tall forward Sam Weideman and ball-winner Ben Kennedy.
The trio was initially named on the extended interchange, but have now been named emergencies.
Playmaker Christian Salem, utility Jake Melksham, midfielder/forward Alex Neal-Bullen and hard-nut James Harmes – who all played against the Pies – have been named on the bench.
As announced earlier, 2016 All-Australian Max Gawn, who has been sidelined since round four with a hamstring injury, will miss another week.
Goodwin said the Queen’s Birthday win – when Melbourne came back from 28 points down – was an exciting day for the club and its supporters.
“It was a step forward in where we’re going and what we want to do this year. But we’ve still got a lot of work to do,” he said.
“We’re playing the reigning premier and we’re taking a lot of steps in our journey to become the team that we want to become.
“There’s no bigger task than taking on the reigning premiers who are looking to bounce back after their performance in Sydney.
“We’re under no illusions what we need to bring and we know that if we bring our game style – at our best level – we’re going to be right in the game at the end.”
The match starts at 3.20pm.
Melbourne team: round 13
B: O.McDonald, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta
HB: Michael Hibberd, Sam Frost, Bernie Vince
C: Jayden Hunt, Jordan Lewis, Nathan Jones
HF: Clayton Oliver, Jack Watts, Mitch Hannan
F: Tom Bugg, Christian Petracca, Jeff Garlett
Foll: Cam Pedersen, Dom Tyson, Jack Viney
I/C: Christian Salem, Jake Melksham, Alex Neal-Bullen, James Harmes
Emg: Jake Spencer, Sam Weideman, Ben Kennedy
Unchanged
