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LAST year’s NAB AFL Rising Star medallist, Danyle Pearce, is a likely starter for Port Adelaide in this weekend’s match against Melbourne.
Pearce has missed three matches with a hamstring strain, but the Power’s general manager of football operations Peter Rohde says the young midfielder is ready to go. “He’s pretty keen to get back, and we look forward to having him back in the team,” Rohde told afl.com.au.
Pearce’s return will boost a Power midfield that teammate Kane Cornes rates as the best he has seen. With Steven Salopek to miss with a hamstring strain, and Michael Wilson out for several weeks with a chest muscle injury, the Power will have extra use for both Pearce and Daniel Motlop in the midfield.
“Daniel Motlop probably won’t play a full game, but none of the midfielders do these days. He got injured in round one, and he was in pretty good form before that,” Rohde said.
Rohde said Warren Tredrea was working his way back into top form. “He played his best game last week, and he’ll be looking to improve on that again,” Rohde said. “We reckon he’s probably six weeks away from his best form.”
The Power will decide today whether to name Pearce and Motlop in the final 22 for Sunday’s game. Ruckman Fabian Deluca is set to play, with Dean Brogan not fully recovered from an ankle injury. Nathan Krakouer and Toby Thurstans, along with youngsters Matt Thomas and Justin Westhoff, make up the extended interchange bench.
Meanwhile, Melbourne will welcome back captain David Neitz to the team to take on Port Adelaide, although Brad Green will miss another game with a hamstring injury. Nathan Jones and Ben Holland are other notable inclusions into the Demons’ squad.
Brad Ottens and Steve Johnson will boost Geelong for their match against Richmond at Telstra Dome. Johnson was included on the half-forward flank after serving his club suspension and putting in several strong performances in the VFL, and the Cats’ forward line will welcome his return after failing to deliver last weekend against the Kangaroos.
Ottens’ recovery from a hip injury means that one of Mark Blake or Steven King will play. Both are named on the seven-man interchange bench, with a final decision to be made tomorrow.
The Tigers, meanwhile, have dropped Greg Tivendale and recalled four youngsters in Kelvin Moore, Cam Howat, Matthew White and Danny Meyer. If he plays, it will be Moore’s 18th game – and he’s the most experienced of the quartet.
In the other Sunday game, the Brisbane Lions will wait on a fitness test result today before deciding if co-captain Nigel Lappin will play against Fremantle. Lappin’s thigh injury has caused him to miss the last four weeks after he starred in the round-one win over Hawthorn.
The Dockers have included first-gamer Robert Warnock for the match at the Gabba, with Shane Parker another inclusion and Adam Campbell named on the extended bench. Matthew Carr and Troy Cook are also listed on the bench, along with Daniel Gilmore, Luke Webster, Shaun McManus and James Walker.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
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