MELBOURNE has added five players to its squad for Sunday’s clash against the Brisbane Lions at the MCG.
Former co-captain Jack Grimes, utility Ben Newton, forward Dean Kent, second-year Demon Alex Neal-Bullen and defender Oscar McDonald have been added to the mix.
They have been named on the extended bench, along half-back Jayden Hunt and recent NAB AFL Rising Star nominee James Harmes.
As known earlier in the week, Melbourne has lost defender Neville Jetta for one match after he accepted a sanction for striking Bulldog Marcus Bontempelli during the second quarter of last Sunday’s 32-point loss to the Dogs at the MCG. It will be the first match Jetta has missed this season.
Youngster Christian Salem has been omitted and will miss his second match in 2016, after he was sidelined with concussion in round seven.
Coach Paul Roos said the final 22 would be settled after Melbourne’s training session at Gosch’s Paddock on Friday morning. The team will be announced later in the afternoon.
“With Alex Neal-Bullen’s [recent] performance [in the VFL], he’ll come in the side. He’s been terrific in the seconds and played some terrific footy, which is good,” he told Melbourne TV.
“Kenty, we think will get through training for us tomorrow (Friday) and he’s important player for us.
“[We’ll] probably [bring in] Oscar McDonald as a defender, [who] will be coming in for Nev Jetta.
“There will be a few changes … Nev will go [out] and we’ll work out who goes out of the team.”
Roos said it had been another difficult match committee, given several players were putting their hand-up for selection after strong performances for Casey.
“That’s the balance every week. We’re a young team and we’re always trying to predict who’s going to not play well and it might only be off the back of one poor performance,” he said.
“That’s probably part of our role at the moment – trying to keep [the side] fresh and trying to reward the guys in the VFL, who have been playing really, really good footy. We’ve been really pleased with how they’re going.
“So it is a balance and there is not much margin for error, as there was in the last couple of years, on the back of one performance. People might say that’s unfair, but we’ve got to reward our seconds and we’ve got to make sure we’re setting high standards.”
Kent, who has played seven games this season, comes back in the squad, after missing last round with a back injury.
O.McDonald is a chance to play his second game in 2016, after he featured in Melbourne’s opening round win over Greater Western Sydney at the MCG.
Although Neal-Bullen and Grimes have yet to play an AFL match this season, they have been on the cusp of selection, having been named an emergency for six and five games respectively.
Newton is also in line to play his first game this year, after an ankle injury interrupted his pre-season. He has since played the past five matches in the VFL, but after back-to-back 30-plus disposal performances, he is in contention for a call-up.
The women’s match between Melbourne and the Brisbane Lions will be played as a curtain-raiser, starting at 10.05am.
The men’s clash will start at 1.10pm.
Melbourne team: round nine
B: Billy Stretch, Tom McDonald, Tomas Bugg
HB: Josh Wagner, Colin Garland, Bernie Vince
C: Clayton Oliver, Dom Tyson, Viv Michie
HF: Jack Watts, Cameron Pedersen, Jeff Garlett
F: Christian Petracca, Jesse Hogan, Ben Kennedy
Foll: Max Gawn, Nathan Jones, Jack Viney
I/C (from): Dean Kent, Ben Newton, Oscar McDonald, Jayden Hunt, Alex Neal-Bullen, Jack Grimes, James Harmes
In: Grimes, Newton, Kent, Neal-Bullen, O.McDonald
Out: Neville Jetta (suspension), Christian Salem
