MELBOURNE has added two players to its squad ahead of its Round 3 clash with Brisbane at Hickey Park on Sunday afternoon.
Brooke Patterson and Shelley Heath are the two inclusions who have been named on the extended interchange this week.
The Demons final 21 will be announced on Friday evening ahead of their third match of the AFLW competition, but senior coach Mick Stinear isn’t looking to tinker too heavily with his side.
“I think mainly for us we’re not looking to make many changes,” Stinear told Melbourne Media.
“It was a really good team performance on Saturday night.
“We’ll make sure everyone is fit and well from last week, but we’d like to keep the side the same at this stage.”
While there is currently no secondary tournament to the AFLW, the non-playing Melbourne players had the chance to stake their selection claim in a practice match against Collingwood’s VFLW side on the weekend.
“The girls got to play on Sunday – the eight girls who didn’t get to play on Saturday – so that was a great opportunity for them to be able to play and show where they’re at,” Stinear said.
“I’m really pleased because everyone on the list is improving.
“It was good to have the support of the girls who played on Saturday at the game on Sunday.
“They got to see their teammates perform and put pressure on them for their spots.”
Stinear liked what he saw from his side in the 17-point victory over Collingwood last week and is hoping for a repeated effort against the Lions on Sunday.
“Our offence was good in Round 1, but it just ended up being a shootout, so we were disappointed with how we defended and our consistency around the ball,” Stinear said.
“It was definitely our focus last week to be stronger around the footy for four quarters and then to defend better right across the ground. We felt the offence would come off the back of that.
“The conditions made it a little bit harder to score but we felt like we still generated enough scoring opportunities off the back of that hard work.
“So it’s more of the same, I’m just excited to see what the girls can bring this week.”
The girls will head up to Brisbane on Saturday to prepare for their first interstate game of 2019.
“We haven’t been up there yet, so I think it’s a good opportunity,” Stinear said.
“It’ll be good to take the group away and I think it’s good for them to be able to perform on the road.
“That’s part of what the competition is about so it’s certainly a challenge our group is ready for.”
The Demons’ Round 3 clash will kick off at 4:35pm AEDT on Sunday.
