MELBOURNE has lost injured duo Jeff Garlett and Christian Salem to hamstring injuries, and has included defenders Josh Wagner and Mitch White for Friday night’s clash against the Sydney Swans at the MCG.
Coach Simon Goodwin said the club didn’t want to risk any players at this stage of the season.
“We making sure at the moment with the team that we’re not playing anyone that’s sore,” he told Melbourne TV.
“We’ve got a couple of guys who have got hamstrings at the moment, so Christian Salem and Jeff Garlett are out of the team.
“Into the team come Josh Wagner and Mitch White, who are both in terrific form at VFL level, so we’re looking for really good games from those guys.”
Garlett, who is leading Melbourne’s goalkicking with 29 goals this season, will miss his first match of the season.
It will be the second game Salem has missed this year, after he was rubbed out for one match for striking North Melbourne’s Shaun Higgins in round nine.
For Wagner, he returns to the side, having played four matches from rounds seven to 10.
The Queenslander has had an interrupted season, having missed five weeks with a fractured fibula after suffering the setback in the second JLT Community Series match, before returning for a VFL practice match in the round two equivalent.
He then missed two matches in mid to late April with a broken thumb, sustained while playing for Casey.
As announced on Thursday afternoon, White will play his first AFL match of the season, after some strong form with Casey.
It will be his fourth AFL game, after he made his AFL debut in the final round of the 2015 season against GWS Giants at Etihad Stadium and played two matches last year.
White was elevated from the rookie to primary list on Thursday, replacing the injured Aaron vandenBerg (heel), who is sidelined for the rest of the season.
Former co-captain Jack Trengove, who has been a model of consistency at Casey this season, has been named for the second time this season. He was an emergency in round four against Fremantle at the MCG.
Key forward Sam Weideman, who has played six matches this season, has also been named an emergency on the back of an outstanding performance for Casey last round. He booted six goals against the Box Hill Hawks.
And first-year Demon and small forward Dion Johnstone is the other emergency, having impressed in the pre-season and recently for Casey.
Goodwin said last Saturday night’s win over the West Coast Eagles at Domain Stadium was “a brilliant result”, but he added that his team had another genuine challenge this round.
“I didn’t think we played our best footy [last weekend] but to go over to Perth and win was outstanding. The resilience the boys are showing – and their ability to continue to fight, scrap and stay in games, and then find a way at the end – was terrific,” he said.
“Friday night footy at the MCG – our first home game since 2012 – the players are really looking forward to it.
“They’re excited and we’ve got great belief in the way they’re playing and we’re playing a quality football club in the Sydney Swans. Both teams love the contest, so it’s going to be one of those games on Friday night, which is pretty hard at it.”
Melbourne team: round 15
B: Michael Hibberd, Oscar McDonald, Neville Jetta
HB: Jordan Lewis, Sam Frost, Jayden Hunt
C: James Harmes, Dom Tyson, Bernie Vince
HF: Billy Stretch, Cam Pedersen, Christian Petracca
F: Clayton Oliver, Tom McDonald, Alex Neal-Bullen
Foll: Max Gawn, Jake Melksham, Jack Viney
I/C: Mitch Hannan, Tom Bugg, Mitch White, Josh Wagner
Emg: Jack Trengove, Sam Weideman, Dion Johnstone
In: Wagner, White
Out: Garlett (hamstring), Salem (hamstring)
