Collingwood has named debutant Alex Fasolo for Monday afternoon’s round 12 Queen’s Birthday clash with Melbourne at the MCG.
CTV on YouTube- Sharrod Wellingham interviews Alex Fasolo about his upcoming debut
Fasolo will become the 1088th player to represent Collingwood since the formation of the VFL in 1897, and is the Magpies' first debutant in season 2011.
Simon Buckley and Jarryd Blair come into the side with Fasolo to replace premiership stars Dane Swan (general soreness), Dayne Beams (foot) and Dale Thomas (suspended), who were all part of the 57-point win over St Kilda in round 11.
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Fasolo, who turned 19 earlier this week, is a strong-bodied midfielder from East Fremantle in Western Australia, and showed during the NAB Cup that he is capable of winning his own ball and kicking a long running goal.
As the club’s first pick (selection 45 overall) in last year’s draft, Fasolo was given the famous number 35 guernsey previously worn by Magpie greats Simon Prestigiacomo and Peter Daicos.
Blair returns to the team after being omitted for the win over the Saints. The tough 174-centimetre rover/forward played the first nine matches of the season after being part of the famous premiership 22 last year in only his 12th game, and proved his goalkicking ability by booting 10 majors in the first three rounds this year. He was also the last player to make his AFL debut for Collingwood against West Coast in round 14 last year.
Buckley, 24, also missed last week’s game, through groin soreness, but has shown in six matches this year that he is developing well as a versatile running defensive option.
Buckley and Andrew Krakouer are the Magpies' only other new players this year. Both played their first games for the club in round one against Port Adelaide after starting their careers with Melbourne and Richmond respectively.
Collingwood has used 28 players so far in season 2011, the equal fewest of any club this year, along with Geelong. The Magpies used 33 players en route to the 2010 premiership triumph.
The Magpies’ upcoming opponent, Melbourne, is coming off an impressive 33-point victory over Essendon, and sits ninth on the ladder with four wins and a draw after 10 matches. The Demons have added Clint Bartram, Matthew Bate and Ricky Petterd to their 22 from last Friday.
AFL round 12
Melbourne v Collingwood
Monday 13 June 2011
MCG, 2:10pm
Collingwood
B: Leon Davis, Ben Reid, Heritier O’Brien
HB: Alan Toovey, Nick Maxwell, Heath Shaw
C: Tyson Goldsack, Steele Sidebottom, Sharrod Wellingham
HF: Chris Tarrant, Chris Dawes, Andrew Krakouer
F: Alan Didak, Travis Cloke, Leigh Brown
Foll: Cameron Wood, Scott Pendlebury, Luke Ball
Int : John McCarthy, Simon Buckley, Alex Fasolo, Jarryd Blair
Emg: Luke Rounds, Tom Young, Brad Dick,
In: Blair, Buckley, Fasolo,
Out: Swan (general soreness), Beams (foot), Thomas (suspended)
New:
Alex Fasolo (19yo; 181cm, 80kg; recruited from East Fremantle in WA)
Melbourne
B: Daniel Nicholson, James Frawley, Joel Macdonald
HB: Cale Morton, Jared Rivers, James Strauss
C: Tom Scully, Brent Moloney, Liam Jurrah
HF: Jeremy Howe, Jack Watts, Jordan Gysberts
F: Jamie Bennell, Colin Sylvia, Brad Green
FOLL: Stef Martin, Jack Trengove, Jordie McKenzie
I/C: Nathan Jones, Max Gawn, Neville Jetta, Michael Evans
EMG: Clint Bartram, Matthew Bate, Ricky Petterd
IN: -
OUT: -
