WERRIBEE and Coburg have suffered major injury blows ahead of their must-win Smithy's VFL clashes this weekend.
The Tigers, who face a tough trip to a strengthened Gold Coast, will be without star midfielder Matt Hanson for several weeks with a knee injury, while Lions' co-captain Ryan Exon will also miss a significant chunk of time after hurting his wrist ahead of a big game against Collingwood at Piranha Park.
Williamstown received good news and bad news for its clash with Geelong at GHMBA Stadium on Sunday, with Nick Mellington returning for his first game of the season alongside new captain Cam Polson, but the Seagulls have lost full-forward Joel Ottavi to family commitments and Jordan Gallucci to illness.
The news is better for Frankston, which travels just up the road for its Southern Derby against a near full-strength Sandringham team, with ruckman Jimmy Rendell in for his season debut.
The AFL reserves teams have named returning big names all over the place, headed by the Brisbane Lions picking Mitch Robinson and Jack Payne for their trip to Sydney, while the Swans regain Callum Sinclair, vice-captain Colin O'Riordan and James Bell.
View the Smithy’s VFL teams HERE
View the Smithy’s VFL injury list HERE
Matt Buntine will finally debut for Casey Demons alongside Michael Hibberd; Jack Billings, Zak Jones and Sam Dunell are among the inclusions for Sandringham; Michael Hartley and Caleb Poulter return for Collingwood; Jesse Motlop, Lachie Plowman and Jesse Glass-McCasker are in for Carlton; Jed Anderson, Atu Bosenavulagi and Marty Hore return for North Melbourne; Charlie Constable, Jack Bowes, Joel Jeffrey, James Tsitas and Rory Atkins are all in for Gold Coast; Footscray has named Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, Rhylee West, Josh Schache, Hayden Crozier and Dom Bedendo; Essendon included Nick Hind and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher but rested Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, with Dylan Shiel only named as an emergency; Gary Rohan and Luke Dahlhaus are on the comeback trail for Geelong and Tanner Bruhn, Zach Sproule and Jake Stein are in for GWS.
There are also nine debutants named with the most interesting ones being Zach Monkhorst, the son of former Collingwood ruckman and now Hawthorn ruck coach Damian, who will make a VFL debut at the age of 28; Lachie Waddell, who last played for Port Melbourne in 2019 and will make his return to State league footy with Geelong; and suburban goalkicking ace Matt Wetering, who will play his first game for Collingwood; but the highest profile debutant is Will Ashcroft, the son of Brisbane Lions triple premiership hero Marcus, who will play his first game for his dad's old team at the SCG on Sunday.
Twitter: @BRhodesVFL
COBURG v COLLINGWOOD
Saturday, April 30, 1.05pm @ Piranha Park
(https://www.afl.com.au/fixture?Competition=7, 1pm)
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Collingwood 10-4. At Piranha Park: Collingwood 5-4. Streak: Collingwood 8 in a row (2012). Last time: Collingwood 14.11 95 def Coburg 13.13 91 (Victoria Park, May 8, 2021)
COBURG
IN: T McKenzie, L Walker
OUT: R Exon (wrist), J Kemp (omit)
COLLINGWOOD
IN: M Hartley, C Poulter, M Wetering
OUT: A Begg, T Brown (AFL), T Wilson (managed)
DEBUT: Matt Wetering (22, Springvale Districts)
Prediction: Collingwood by 10
CARLTON v NORTH MELBOURNE
Saturday, April 30, 2.05pm @ Ikon Park
(https://www.afl.com.au/fixture?Competition=7, 2pm)
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Carlton 21-7-5. At Ikon Park: Never Met. Streak: North Melbourne 2 in a row (1895). Last time: North Melbourne 6.6 def Carlton 1.9 (Arden St, September 5, 1896)
CARLTON
IN: J Boyd, J Glass-McCasker, T Lieu, J Motlop, L Plowman
OUT: L O'Brien, L Stocker (AFL), J Carroll (AFL emerg), M Lewis, C Stephens
NEW: Tyreece Leiu (19, North Melbourne)
NORTH MELBOURNE
IN: J Anderson, A Bosenavulagi, M Hore, J Lipscombe, Z Monkhorst, A Wright
OUT: A Bonar, C Coleman-Jones (AFL), J Guthrie, C Hinkley, D Tyson, C Weightman (all omit)
DEBUT: Zach Monkhorst (28, Woori Yallock); Alec Wright (21, Launceston)
Prediction: Carlton by 8
GOLD COAST v WERRIBEE
Saturday, May 1, 11.05am @ Metricon Stadium Training Oval
(https://www.afl.com.au/fixture?Competition=7, 11am)
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Gold Coast 1-0-1. At Metricon Stadium: Never Met. Streak: Gold Coast 1.5 in a row (2010). Last time: Gold Coast 15.9 99 def Werribee 14.14 98 (Fankhauser Reserve, April 24, 2010)
GOLD COAST
IN: R Atkins, J Bowes, F Brown, C Constable, J Jeffrey, J Tsitas
OUT: C Budarick, M Conroy, M Ferres (managed), J Foggo (illness), W Bella, M Dumas (all omit)
WERRIBEE
IN: J Dahlhaus, E Jackson, L Smart, R William
OUT: J Clark (knee), M Hanson (knee), L Wagener (foot), S El-Hawli (omit)
Prediction: Werribee by 2
FOOTSCRAY v ESSENDON
Sunday, May 1, 11.35am @ Victoria University Whitten Oval
(https://www.afl.com.au/fixture?Competition=7, 11.30am)
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Essendon 14-9. At Whitten Oval: Footscray 6-3. Streak: Footscray 1 in a row (2018). Last time: Footscray 20.9 129 def Essendon 5.5 35 (Whitten Oval, August 10, 2019)
FOOTSCRAY
IN: H Crozier, D Bedendo, J Schache, J Ugle-Hagan, R West
OUT: C Craig-Peters, C Doultree, J Gilbee, A Hodge, W Lewis (all omit)
ESSENDON
IN: L Godden, N Hind, P Pascu, S Rasinac, B Zerk-Thatcher
OUT: to come
DEBUT: Paul Pascu (17, Calder Cannons), Stefan Rasinac (24, Aberfeldie)
Prediction: Footscray by 21
GEELONG v WILLIAMSTOWN
Sunday, May 1, 12pm @ GMHBA Stadium
(Channel 7 and https://7plus.com.au, 12pm)
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Geelong 27-14-1. At GMHBA Stadium: Geelong 10-5-1. Streak: Geelong 1 in a row (2019). Last time: Geelong 12.11 83 def Williamstown 10.11 71 (Williamstown, July 10, 2021)
GEELONG
IN: A Byrne, S Carlin, L Dahlhaus, G Rohan, L Waddell
OUT: O Dempsey (AFL), C Jones, L McCarthy, P Tsapatolis, C Whyte
NEW: Lachlan Waddell (26, Newtown & Chilwell)
WILLIAMSTOWN
IN: N Mellington, C Polson, E Soylemez, L Stapleton
OUT: N Gadsby, J Gallucci, M Gaul, J Ottavi
DEBUT: Eren Soylemez (20, Edithvale-Aspendale)
Prediction: Geelong by 34
SYDNEY v BRISBANE LIONS
Sunday, May 1, 1.05pm @ SCG
(https://www.afl.com.au/fixture?Competition=7, 1pm)
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Sydney 16-15. At SCG: Brisbane Lions 8-6. Streak: Brisbane Lions 6 in a row (2018). Last time: Brisbane Lions 11.16 82 def Sydney 4.8 32 (South Pine, NEAFL semi-final, September 8, 2019)
SYDNEY
IN: A Anderson, J Bell, W Edwards, C O'Riordan, C Sinclair
OUT: S Barkley, M Geddes, H Maguire, K Pfrengle, F Rogers (all omit)
DEBUT: William Edwards (18, North Shore)
BRISBANE LIONS
IN: W Ashcroft, J Payne, M Robinson
OUT: to come
DEBUT: Will Ashcroft (17, Sandringham Dragons)
Prediction: Sydney by 3
NORTHERN BULLANTS v GWS
Sunday, May 1, 1.35pm @ Preston City Oval
(https://www.afl.com.au/fixture?Competition=7, 1.30pm)
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Never Met
NORTHERN BULLANTS
IN: M King
OUT: Z Hart (ankle)
GWS
IN: L Benton, T Bruhn, Z Sproule, J Stein, C Stone
OUT: C Hamilton (AFL), R Angwin (managed), H Grintell, S Robinson, B Romensky (all omit)
DEBUT: Lachlan Benton (19, Sandringham Dragons)
Prediction: GWS by 16
BOX HILL HAWKS v CASEY DEMONS
Sunday, May 1, 2.05pm @ Box Hill City Oval
(3WBC 94.1FM, www.3wbc.org.au, 1pm;
https://www.afl.com.au/fixture?Competition=7, 2pm)
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Casey Demons 35-30. At Box Hill City Oval: Box Hill Hawks 18-12. Streak: Casey Demons 2 in a row (2019). Last time: Casey Demons 17.16 118 def Box Hill Hawks 10.7 67 (Box Hill City Oval, April 18, 2021)
BOX HILL HAWKS
IN: K Hartigan, F Maginness, J Serong
OUT: L Bramble, J Callow (AFL), L Wynd (omit)
CASEY DEMONS
IN: M Buntine, L Goonan, M Hibberd, M Johnson, B Milford
OUT: T McDonald (AFL), T Woewodin (managed), C Ellison, R Koo Kwet Kim, M Shepherd (all omit)
DEBUT: Matt Johnson (debut, 21, Beaconsfield)
Prediction: Casey Demons by 9
SANDRINGHAM v FRANKSTON
Sunday, May 1, 2.05pm @ Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval
(https://www.afl.com.au/fixture?Competition=7, 2pm)
HEAD-TO-HEAD: Sandringham 43-27. At Trevor Barker: Sandringham 18-12. Streak: Sandringham 4 in a row (2014). Last time: Sandringham 11.12 78 def Frankston 12.4 76 (Trevor Barker, May 5, 2019)
SANDRINGHAM
IN: J Billings, S Dunell, Z Jones, D Joyce, J Kyle, M Owens
OUT: C Sharman (managed), D Frampton, D Hipwell, N Hodgson, J Lohmann, T Milne (all omit)
FRANKSTON
IN: J Rendell, T Small
OUT: A Grant, N Shannon (both omit)
Prediction: Sandringham by 23
BYE: Port Melbourne, Richmond, Southport
Brendan Rhodes’ winners: Last Round: 6.5. Season: 35.5
All Smithy’s VFL matches in 2022 can be viewed live and free. The VFL Match of the Round will be screened each week on Channel 7, with all other matches to be livestreamed via vfl.com.au and the AFL Live Official App. Radio station 3WBC will also again be broadcasting regular matches.
To access live scores, results, ladder, stats and to link to live streams/replays, download the VFL/W Official App from the Apple or Google Play app stores.
Keep track of your Smithy’s VFL team via our VFL Match Centre, which features live scores, team and player stats, match timeline, events summary and Fantasy points. Check it out here (https://www.afl.com.au/vfl/fixture)