After some enormous upsets last weekend, several coaches are likely to swing the axe at their club before Round 7 starts on Wednesday night.
Will the Crows axe a young forward? A key Don has served his time, and is there room up forward for a forgotten premiership Cat? These are just some of the questions ahead of a marathon five-day round of footy.
RICHMOND v MELBOURNE
Wednesday April 24, 7:25pm at the MCG
Richmond’s Round 5 side:
B: T.Young, N.Broad, N.Vlastuin
HB: J.Short, T.Brown, D.Rioli
C: K.McIntosh, J.Graham, M.Pickett
HF: S.Campbell, R.Mansell, M.Rioli
F: J.Koschitzke, S.Bolton, D.Martin
FOLL: T.Nankervis – C, L.Baker, T.Dow
I/C: T.Sonsie, M.Lefau, B.Miller, K.McAuliffe, H.Ralphsmith
EMG: S.Green, S.Naismith, S.Banks
Team Tips: After a bye in Round 6, the Tigers will be hellbent on making amends for their 39-point loss to West Coast before their break. They’ll finally get some talent back with veteran defender Dylan Grimes recovered from his wrist injury, plus Jacob Hopper from his knee injury; a godsend for a depleted Richmond list. New recruit Jacob Koschitzke hasn’t played his best footy since coming into the side in Round 4, meaning Samson Ryan could replace him after kicking four goals against Werribee before the bye. Sam Naismith continues to wait for his chance at the top level, having dominated in all three VFL rounds Richmond have played this season.
Melbourne’s Round 5 side:
B: T.Rivers, S.May, T.McDonald
HB: B.Howes, J.Lever, J.McVee
C: E.Langdon, C.Petracca, A.Neal-Bullen
HF: J.Billings, H.Petty, K.Tholstrup
F: J.van Rooyen, B.Fritsch, T.Sparrow
FOLL: M.Gawn – C, J.Viney, C.Oliver
I/C: C.Salem, C.Windsor, K.Chandler, T.Woewodin, B.Brown
EMG: B.Laurie, J.Schache, A.Tomlinson
Team Tips: Despite surgery on a dislocated finger last week, Melbourne has confirmed star Clayton Oliver will line up against Richmond on Wednesday night. Marty Hore (thumb) is also available for Wednesday night’s blockbuster. Small forward Kysaiah Pickett will return from his one-match suspension, with Fox Sports News’ Drew Jones believing it’ll come at the expense of young Koltyn Tholstrup given he missed the captain’s run. Tall duo Harrison Petty and Ben Brown were unsighted against the Lions, with the former not registering his first disposal until halfway through the last quarter. Shane McAdam has been cleared for return and will play in the VFL on Wednesday. Recruit Tom Fullarton is one of several players who should be heavily considered to replace one of Petty or Brown, after 21 disposals and 2.4 up forward for Casey before their VFL break. Josh Schache kicked 3.1 from his 15 disposals in the same game, while midfielder-forward Bailey Laurie had an incredible 20 tackles to go with his 24 disposals and 11 clearances. While Laurie is clearly deserving of a call-up, he may find it harder to find his way into the senior team given its current structure.
ESSENDON v COLLINGWOOD
Thursday April 25, 3:20pm at the MCG
Essendon’s Round 6 side:
B: D.Heppell, B.McKay, N.Hind
HB: N.Martin, M.Redman, A.McGrath
C: X.Duursma, D.Parish, J.Kelly
HF: S.Durham, K.Langford, A.Davey Jnr
F: J.Gresham, J.Stringer, B.Hobbs
FOLL: T.Goldstein, J.Caldwell, Z.Merrett – C
I/C: S.Draper, E.Tsatas, N.Cox, J.Laverde, H.Jones
EMG: A.Roberts, N.Caddy, J.Davey
Team Tips: After a heart-stopping win in Adelaide last Friday night, the Bombers are well-placed, but there are still some serious questions to be answered. Peter Wright will return from his four-week suspension, which the Bombers treated as a mini pre-season, but the out-of-form Sam Draper has been playing his role up forward and had basically no impact. Brad Scott talked up Draper’s job security but does it really make sense to play him alongside Wright and Todd Goldstein right now? Harrison Jones, who has kicked multiple goals in three of his last four games, would be unlucky to lose his place. Midfielder Dylan Shiel registered 24 disposals against Southport on Saturday in the VFL, 20 of which were handballs. Who he comes in for is less clear, after Essendon’s full team effort against the Crows; he looks as a sub option. The bigger question in the midfield is Darcy Parish, who is hugely down on his 2023 performances and has been outperformed by Sam Durham and Jye Caldwell. Highly touted young key defender Lewis Hayes continued his incredible season in the VFL, racking up 26 disposals and nine marks. He makes a viable option in defence, should Brad Scott want a taller defence against the Pies. Back-up ruckman Nick Bryan has also been very good in the reserves so far this season, but will likely need to wait for Goldstein and/or Draper to be rested for a shot.
Collingwood’s Round 6 side:
B: B.Maynard, J.Howe, B.Frampton
HB: J.Noble, J.Crisp, D.Moore – C
C: S.Sidebottom, S.Pendlebury, J.Daicos
HF: N.Daicos, P.Lipinski, B.Mihocek
F: B.McCreery, J.Elliott, M.Cox
FOLL: D.Cameron, L.Schultz, J.De Goey
I/C: I.Quaynor, T.Mitchell, B.Hill, R.McInnes, W.Hoskin-Elliott
EMG: F.Macrae, H.Harrison, O.Markov
Team Tips: Things are as good as they have been in 2024 for the Magpies, after a dominant win over Port on Saturday. There are unlikely to be many, if any, changes to their winning formula, given there were no passengers in the victory. Oleg Markov was busy down back for the Pies’ VFL side on Sunday, and is evidently the next defender in line for a recall. Charlie Dean, Finlay Macrae and Jack Bytel were all solid across the board in the 15-point loss to Coburg. Category B rookie and former Victorian cricket Wil Parker impressed in his VFL debut, registering 21 disposals and a goal off half-back. While his performance instilled a lot of hope into the club for picking him up in February, he’ll still be a long way off a debut at AFL level.
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