Gold Coast’s round one opponent, Essendon, have named 10 new players for the Easter Saturday clash at Metricon Stadium.
Darcy Parish, the No. 5 selection in the 2015 national draft, will make his AFL debut, as will Mitch Brown and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti.
Matthew Leuenberger and Craig Bird, who joined the Bombers during last year’s exchange period, will wear the red sash for the first time against the SUNS.
Five top-up players (Ryan Crowley, Matt Dea, James Kelly, Jonathan Simpkin and Matthew Stokes) will also play their first game for Essendon this Saturday.
Essendon Round 1 AFL Premiership Team
B: Matt Dea, Mitch Brown, James Gwilt
HB: Mark Baguley, Patrick Ambrose, Marty Gleeson
C: Brendon Goddard, David Zaharakis, Jonathan Simpkin
HF: Jackson Merrett, Shaun McKernan, Kyle Langford
F: Mathew Stokes, Joe Daniher, Adam Cooney
FOLL: Matthew Leuenberger, Ryan Crowley, Zach Merrett
INT: Craig Bird, Darcy Parish, James Kelly, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti
EMG: Sam Michael, Sam Grimley, Nick Kommer
