The Magpies are unlikely to tinker greatly with the side although they do have options. All eyes will be on whether or not Paul Medhurst earns a recall after playing 70 per cent of game time in the VFL. Ruckmen Cameron Wood or Chris Bryan could be recalled, given Mick Malthouse has stressed the need for his side to get its hands to the ball against the Swans. Youngsters Dayne Beams and Tyson Goldsack are others pushing for selection.
Essendon
The Bombers are set to welcome back up to four senior players for Friday night's clash with Melbourne at Docklands. Dustin Fletcher and Andrew Welsh are expected to come into the side, while Jason Winderlich and Henry Slattery could also be included in the side to take on the Dees. The Bendigo Bombers had a bye last week in the VFL making it hard for Bomber young guns to prove their worth.
Fremantle
Antoni Grover (calf) and Luke McPharlin (hip) both trained well on Monday night and appear set to return. Des Headland (quad) has been working hard over the split round but remains in doubt while Michael Johnson (ankle) didn't train on Monday. Hayden Ballantyne should debut after a number of false starts. The exciting small forward booted five goals in his only WAFL match this season two weeks ago and was a late withdrawal against Port Adelaide with a back injury.
Geelong
Look for a few changes this week in the Geelong line-up - no captain Tom Harley, but Joel Corey (plantar fasciitis), Max Rooke (concussion) and Harry Taylor (ankle) are all set to return. David Johnson could also be in the mix if the match committee decides he's needed for a match up at the defensive end.
Melbourne
Melbourne's No.1 pick in last year's NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft Liam Jurrah could make his AFL debut this Friday night. The 20-year-old has been impressive for the Casey Scorpions in recent weeks, booting 11 goals in the last three rounds, including four in each of the past two matches. Jamie Bennell also shone in his first game at VFL level, while Stef Martin, Lynden Dunn, Clint Bartram, Michael Newton and Neville Jetta will also be pushing for a call-up.
Sydney Swans
In-form midfielder Nick Smith remains a chance to add to his two senior games after a slight quad strain kept him out of the round 11 loss to Hawthorn. A spot could open up with defender Craig Bolton (knee) rated just 50-50 to play on Saturday night. Meanwhile, untried on-baller Daniel O’Keefe booted six goals in the reserves’ most recent outing and Matt O’Dwyer and Luke Ablett also pushed their cases for a senior recall with strong performances.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
