Coach David Ashkar (pictured) has slotted six new faces into his Australia Post Queensland U18 Scorpions starting line-up for this weekend.
Wednesday, 23 June, 2010
David Ashkar, coach of the Australia Post Queensland Scorpions, has slotted six new faces straight into his starting line-up for Saturday’s fourth game of the NAB AFL Australian U18 Championships in Melbourne.
The wholesale changes come as Ashkar (pictured) looks for an improved performance from his winless side against the unbeaten Victorian Country at Visy Park.
Tom Bell will bolster the backline, James Nelis and Conrad Hudghton have been named across the centre, and Peter Labi, Lewis Moss and Jack James make up half of a new-look forward line.
Also, in a seventh guaranteed change to the side that lost to NSW/ACT at Coorparoo last Saturday, Tom Hickey returns as No.1 ruckman after a spell.
Tom Fields, who also sat out the game against NSW/ACT, and Wyatt Bacon, the seventh player chosen from outside the original squad in the 25-man travel party, are bracketed on a seven-man interchange bench.
The final line-up will be confirmed after the team gets to Melbourne and the coaching staff has a chance to assess the conditions.
In another key positional change, Sam Michael, who was used in the ruck last week after playing up forward in the earlier games, has been selected at centre half back.
Michael Hutchinson takes over the captaincy from the injured Joel Wilkinson, who has been sidelined by a fractured collarbone, with Leon Bolliger-Ha, Josh Bruekers, Daniel Mowat, Zaine Pringle and Regan Salter the others missing from last weekend’s beaten side.
The Queensland Scorpions line-up for Saturday, with jumper numbers, is:-
B: (23) Peter Yagmoor, (22) Luke Edwards, (25) Tom Bell;
HB: (8) Michael Hutchinson (capt), (16) Sam Michael, (36) Jake Crawford;
C (21) Adam Oxley, (34) James Nelis, (7) Conrad Hudghton;
HF: (33) Luke Shreeve, (29) Peter Labi, (12) Jack James;
F: (37) Lewis Moss, (31) Liam Rutledge, (30) David Meli;
R: (28) Tom Hickey (5) Aaron Laskey, (13) Jackson Rolfe.
I/C (from): (27) Matthew Sturgeon, (18) Jackson Ryan, (3) Chris Wittkopp, (24) Nathan Reid (26), Brad Slater, (19) Tom Fields, (32) Wyatt Bacon.
Note: See the full story on Michael Hutchinson’s captaincy appointment below in the ‘News’ section of the AFLQ website.
