A mixture of new and continuing players will line up for the Gunnedah Bulldogs first grade AFL team this Saturday as the club has its first hit-out of the year on home turf.
The Bulldogs will oppose fellow AFL North West team the Tamworth Kangaroos at Wolseley Park, with Gunnedah coach Jakob Vearing hoping at least 18 players take part.
Injuries and off-season player departures have resulted in a revamped squad, while Darcy Hill has been appointed captain in the absence of Adam Curgenven.
Continuing players this Saturday are likely to include Mason Louis, Daniel Pass, Eamon Martin, Tom Carlyon, Joe Montague, Nathan Moore, Beau Herbert and Liam Herbert, while there will also likely be a few newcomers including a rugby union convert.
Some of the Bulldogs played in the local four-team AFL 9s competition in the past two months, while Vearing said there had also been competitive training drills.
Vearing said the club culture was looking good while there were systems in place and young players developing.
“My preference has always been if a player turns up to training and engages in club culture, they’ll be the first picked,” he said.
“Skill’s not the only criteria.
“Ideally I want 22 players to get along.”
Vearing said although the result of the trial match wasn’t overly important, “it will highlight certain things”.
Vearing said he looked at structures while the team’s set-up would be defensive “rather than chasing the ball everywhere”.
“It should be a good hit-out,” he said.
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