Versatile utility Brent Staker will miss after rupturing his ACL for the second time this season, while Luke Power won’t be making the trip to Sydney after announcing his immediate retirement following last Saturday night’s match against West Coast at the Gabba.
The experienced duo have been replaced in the Lions’ Round 24 team by Ryan Harwood and James Hawksley.
Harwood is set to play just his seventh senior match for 2011 - and first since Round 17 - after making six senior appearances in his debut season last year.
The 20 year-old midfielder was a standout for the Lions Reserves during the final month of the 2011 NEAFL season and has been named on the interchange bench.
Hawksley, meanwhile, returns for his sixth match for 2011 which will take his career tally to a total of 28 games.
It will be one of the Lions’ youngest team’s in recent memory, featuring only four players with 100 games or more experience - Simon Black (295 games), Ashley McGrath (175 games), Matt Maguire (127 games) and Jed Adcock (119 games).
In fact, the Lions will be missing nine of the Club’s 14 most experienced players (including the recently retired Luke Power and Jamie Charman), while 12 members of Saturday night’s team will be aged 22 or younger.
The Lions’ full Round 24 team is as follows:
B: Jed Adcock (7), Matt Maguire (36), Niall McKeever (40)
HB: Mitch Golby (41), Josh Drummond (39), Pearce Hanley (11)
C: Cheynee Stiller (32), Andrew Raines (29), Tom Rockliff (38)
HF: Sam Sheldon (3), Bryce Retzlaff (37), James Polkinghorne (31)
F: Patrick Karnezis (28), Aaron Cornelius (44), Ash McGrath (9)
FOLL: Matthew Leuenberger (23), Simon Black (20), Jack Redden (30)
INT: Daniel Rich (10), Todd Banfield (18), James Hawksley (12), Ryan Harwood (26)
EMERG: Josh Dyson (27), Amon Buchanan (33), Josh Green (42)
IN: Ryan Harwood, James Hawksley
OUT: Luke Power (retired), Brent Staker (knee)
