PORT ADELAIDE has named two debutants for the club’s 2022 season opener against Brisbane on Saturday night.
Greater Western Sydney recruit Jeremy Finlayson has been included in the side to make his official club debut after 66 games and 90 goals with the Giants.
The 26-year-old will be joined in the side by midfielder Jackson Mead, who will make his AFL debut.
Mead – the son of inaugural John Cahill Medallist and three-time SANFL premiership player Darren Mead – will become just the second father-son player for the club at AFL level following Brett Ebert back in 2004.
Forward/Midfielder Sam Powell-Pepper has been included on the interchange bench after overcoming a hamstring injury which kept him out of the AAMI Community Series game against Adelaide and forward Robbie Gray will also play after hamstring soreness saw him sit out most of the win over the Crows.
Steven Motlop, Sam Hayes, Sam Mayes and former Lion Sam Skinner have been named as emergencies.
Hayes and Skinner would also be making their respective club debuts (and AFL debut in Hayes’ case) if called upon.
The medical substitute will be named from among the emergency list before the first bounce.
The game against the Lions at the Gabba in Brisbane will get underway at 7:10pm local time / 7:40pm ACDT.
B: R. Burton 3 T. McKenzie 12 A. Aliir 21
HB: R. Bonner 26 T. Jonas -C 1. D. Byrne-Jones 33
C: D. Houston 5 O. Wines 16 K. Amon 15
HF: Z. Butters 18 M. Georgiades 19 C. Rozee 20
F: J. Finlayson 11 T. Marshall 4 R. Gray 9
Foll: S. Lycett 29 W. Drew 28 T. Boak 10
I/C: S. Powell-Pepper 2 X. Duursma 7 L. Jones 34 J. Mead 44
Emerg: S. Motlop 6 S. Hayes 25 S. Mayes 32 S. Skinner 31
