With the Gold Coast SUNS making wholesale changes at senior level, the NEAFL side will feature nine new faces for this Saturday’s game against the Giants at Tony Ireland Stadium in Townsville.

Tom Nicholls will take over the ruck duties after being dropped from Rodney Eade’s 22 with Keegan Brooksby also coming into the side after just one senior game.

Jarrod Garlett, Cam Loersch and Danny Stanley have all overcome minor injuries and will take their place in Steve Daniel’s side.

The Giants are coming off a 20-point victory over the Canberra Demons and are sitting third on the ladder with two wins from three games, while the SUNS are in good form following last week’s 108-point thrashing of Brisbane.

“We’d love to get another win but also we want to continue to develop our players. We’re going up to play GWS,” GC SUNS Head of Development, Matthew Lappin, told SUNS TV earlier in the week.

“I’ve never been up to Townsville, not sure about the ground and the conditions, but it’ll be a good experience for our young guys.

“A couple of weeks ago we travelled to NT and we got found out in a few areas so it’s a good chance for us to get back on the horse and see what we’ve learned.”

Round 4 NEAFL Team

B: S. Tape, H. Schade, Z. Saad
HB: M. Willis, J. Leslie, T. Keough
C: M. Shaw, D. Stanley, J. Schoenfeld
HF: K. Brooksby, C. Loersch, H. Simmington
F: B. Matera, B. Crossley, J. Daniels
FOLL: T. Nicholls, D. Macpherson, J. Garlett
INT: J. Joyce, B. Erickson, J. Dawson, R. Lefeuvre, D. Burke

IN: J. Dawson, B. Crossley, T. Nicholls, J. Garlett, C. Loersch, D. Stanley, K. Brooksby, D. Burke, B. Erickson
OUT: B. Fiorini, D. Currie, L. Russell, J. Grant, P. Wright, A. Dawson, M. Spencer, L. Ritchie