Melbourne will unleash gun ahead Jacob van Rooyen for the primary time towards Sydney on Sunday.
Demons coach Simon Goodwin has confirmed the 19-year-old will exchange injured skipper Max Gawn within the aspect to face the Swans on the MCG.
Van Rooyen, decide 19 within the 2021 draft, had met excessive expectations positioned on him to enhance over his first two pre-seasons in senior soccer, Goodwin mentioned.
“He’s labored extremely exhausting at VFL stage to develop his sport during the last couple of years,” he mentioned.
“We’ve been fairly exhausting on him about getting his sport to the best stage by way of what we would like from him.
“He’s continued to execute that by means of the pre-season and the primary few weeks … that’s thrilling for us, it’s thrilling for our supporters and it’s thrilling for everybody within the sport to see a younger, highly effective ahead come into the sport.”
Goodwin mentioned he anticipated van Rooyen to settle in properly alongside key targets Ben Brown and Tom McDonald, however the Demons weren’t demanding huge pack marks and a number of purpose hauls from the 193cm teen.
“He’s skilled with these guys for a number of years now, so he’s acquired fairly good cohesion with this group already,” Goodwin mentioned.
“One factor you’ll see from huge Rooey is his skill to compete aerially. He goes on the ball exhausting, he creates a contest and his follow-up at floor stage is outstanding.
“We gained’t be asking him an excessive amount of aside from to try this for us – present an actual competitors within the air and at floor stage get after it – that’s what he does to a very excessive stage.”
Star defender Steven Might was a “assured” return to the aspect to tackle the Swans, Goodwin mentioned.
“We’ve been cautious with Steve, ensuring he’s 100 per cent able to go, however we’d like his management, we’d like his skill to win one-on-one contests, and he’s a very essential participant to us,” he mentioned.
“We all know the place he performs his finest footy – I’m positive he’ll be on Buddy at instances, they’ve had a reasonably good duel in recent times.”
Sydney has overwhelmed Melbourne in 4 of the final 5 encounters between the golf equipment and in three of the final 4 video games on the MCG.
Goodwin mentioned the Demons must make alterations to their sport plan following the Brisbane loss to face an opportunity towards the Swans.
“We’re getting a clearer and clearer image about what we must be good at towards the Swans,” he mentioned.
“We’re beneath no illusions that we have to make some adjustments to actually take the sport to them.
“They’ve had the wooden on us, however that’s the beauty of AFL footy, we get the prospect to go after the opposition and actually set the scene towards them.”
