MELBOURNE has made just one change for Saturday afternoon’s ‘home’ clash against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium, naming debutant Christian Petracca for Angus Brayshaw.
First-year player Clayton Oliver, defender Colin Garland and utility Alex Neal-Bullen have been named emergencies.
Petracca has been named on the interchange, along with big man Cameron Pedersen, speedster Jayden Hunt and forward/midfielder James Harmes.
As announced on Wednesday afternoon, Melbourne named Petracca for his long-awaited debut after his first season – 2015 – was ruined by a knee injury and his pre-season was interrupted by a foot injury.
After missing the NAB Challenge, Petracca has since played five weeks of football: a Casey intra-club hit out, a Scorpions practice match and three games in the VFL.
He was also named an emergency for last round’s win over Richmond at the MCG on ANZAC Day Eve.
Coach Paul Roos said it was one of the great joys of coaching telling a player they were playing their first AFL match.
“It’s always exciting when you tell a young kid that he’s going to play a game,” he told Roos’ Views on Melbourne TV.
“It’s been a long haul for Christian with the knee reco and the foot, and he’s played some good footy now and worked his way into good form and bashed the door down, so he’s got a chance.”
On the flipside, Roos said selection was “really, really difficult” this week, given the good form of its list.
“He’ll (Petracca) come in for Angus [Brayshaw]. The [knee] interruption that Angus has had [during the pre-season] hasn’t allowed him to play some of the good footy that we saw last year,” he said.
“We want him to go back and play a good block of footy in the VFL. It’s all part of the juggling and development.”
Brayshaw, who has played three matches this season, has had a frustrating start to 2016, after he suffered a knee injury in the opening seconds of Melbourne’s first NAB Challenge clash against Port Adelaide in Elizabeth, back in February.
He returned to the AFL in round two, which Melbourne lost to Essendon at the MCG, but came back to play in the team’s past two wins against Collingwood and Richmond respectively at the ‘G.
Oliver, who received the first NAB AFL Rising Star nomination for the season, after his fine performance against Greater Western Sydney at the MCG in round one, was rested last round.
Garland has played the opening two matches of the season, but has spent the past three weeks in the VFL, although he was an emergency last round against the Tigers.
Neal-Bullen has been on the cusp of selection all year, having been an emergency twice in the NAB Challenge and now for the fourth week in a row from rounds three to six.
Roos, who is now in ninth spot for the most VFL/AFL matches played and coached (607) – after joining and then overtaking his first coach Robert Walls last round – will reach another milestone this round, when he coaches Melbourne for the 50th time.
Melbourne will be aiming to end a 12-match losing streak against St Kilda, which stretches back to the red and blue’s most recent finals win – the second elimination final over the Saints in 2006.
After winning two in a row last round, Melbourne will now be aiming for three consecutive victories for the first time since rounds 17 to 19, 2010. It will also be aiming for back-to-back wins at Docklands.
Melbourne team: round six
B: Neville Jetta, Tom McDonald, Tomas Bugg
HB: Lynden Dunn, Heritier Lumumba, Christian Salem
C: Bernie Vince, Dom Tyson, James Wagner
HF: Jack Watts, Sam Frost, Jeff Garlett
F: Dean Kent, Jesse Hogan, Ben Kennedy
Foll: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney
I/C: Christian Petracca, Cameron Pedersen, Jayden Hunt, James Harmes
Emg: Clayton Oliver, Colin Garland, Alex Neal-Bullen
In: Petracca
Out: Brayshaw
