WHERE AND WHEN
AAMI Stadium, Friday, March 22, 8.10pm
MISSING
Adelaide: Ian Callinan (knee), Brodie Smith (collarbone)
Essendon: Jason Winderlich (groin)
LAST WEEK
Adelaide: Players locked into the club's best 22 had last weekend off, whereas those on the cusp of selection partook in one last SANFL audition before round one. Richard Tambling impressed again for Sturt, but has been overlooked for Friday night's season opener, while Brodie Martin was also handy. With the vast majority of the squad well rested and raring to go, the Crows have given themselves the perfect chance to fire on Friday night.
Essendon: As Adelaide's players did in the SANFL, underdone Bombers played in a VFL trial game last weekend; Scott Gumbleton the star with five goals. Gun midfielder David Zaharakis played the first three quarters and recovered from the match without issue in what is great news for 'Dons fans. David Hille, Jake Melksham, Tayte Pears also used the club's VFL trial against Bendigo Gold as a final tune up for its round one contest at AAMI Stadium.
WHAT THEY SAY
Adelaide: "I've got a few little butterflies floating around…you just really want to get out there, especially [because] it was tough pre-season for us, a bit going on off-field obviously, so we're really looking forward to playing games and putting everything behind us." – Adelaide midfielder Rory Sloane
?
Essendon: "It's unusual for us to have 43 out of 44 players to pick from. There's probably five or six guys who are very unlucky not to get a game this week, but that's the situation we'd love to be in for a large part of the year." – Essendon coach James Hird.
WE SAY
Adelaide: Friday night will offer a first taste as to how Brenton Sanderson's side will cope with increased expectation in 2013. The club maintains its ho-hum pre-season, in which it suffered losses to Port Adelaide, Geelong and only narrowly beat Carlton, has it placed to build on last year's preliminary final exit. All eyes will fall on iconic forward Taylor Walker, who will carry far more weight on his shoulders in the absence of Kurt Tippett. The 22-year-old has bulked up over the summer and looked in ominous touch against the Blues with five goals on March 8.
Essendon: After a catastrophic pre-season off the field, most expect an aggressive and united Essendon front on Friday night. The club has seemingly prepared itself for a ruthless battle, with star defender Brendon Goddard predicting "abuse" from Adelaide's players and fans. Entering his third season at the helm of the Bombers, James Hird said the resilience his side had shown whilst under pressure this pre-season would "stand them in good stead" in 2013.
