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The 2013 NAB Cup comes to the Riverina this evening when the GWS Giants play the Brisbane Lions at Robertson Oval in Wagga Wagga. We’ll have live scores and a blog from 7.00pm AEDT.
Both sides gave encouraging performances in their round robin matchups last weekend, with the Giants beating crosstown rivals Sydney and narrowly losing to Carlton, while the Lions comfortably defeated Hawthorn and Gold Coast.
Both teams seem keen to take some of that momentum into round two of the pre-season competition, selecting strong squads for this stage of the pre-season.
For the Giants, Callan Ward comes in for his first showing in 2013, while new recruit Bret Thornton will make his first appearance in the charcoal and orange.
Davis, Cornes, Palmer and Scully are notable absentees, but there’s no shortage of talent in this squad, with Coniglio, Greene, Cameron, Giles, Patton, and Treloar all out there.
For the Lions, Rich, Merrett, Patfull, Raines and McGrath are notable omissions from last week’s squad, while Brown and Black continue to miss.
Pearce Hanley and newly named co-captain Jed Adcock make their first appearances in the pre-season, but the big news is the long awaited return of Matthew Leuenberger, who has been out since round 3 last season.
You’d expect to see him eased into the game, possibly through the forwardline.
At this time of year, the pressure is on the fringe players to stake their claim for a spot in the first 22.
New recruits Gilham and Thornton will be keen to show that they can contribute to the young GWS team in a key defensive role.
Anthony Miles, Adam Tomlinson, Sam Frost and Nathan Wilson will also be eager to build on strong performances last week to push their way into the first twenty-two.
There’ll be plenty of attention on number one draft pick Jonathan Patton, after he booted four goals against Sydney and Carlton.
With the Lions backline missing some talls, there’s every chance he could have another big game and build some confidence heading into the season.
The Lions have a seemingly endless number of young fringe players pushing their case for round one selection; watch for Karnezis, Beams, Lester, Longer, Cornelius and Paparone who are trying to force their way into the first 22.
Also worth noting is the selection of rookie big men Justin Clarke and Sam Michael. Brisbane coach Michael Voss has the opportunity to elevate a rookie listed player before the start of the season and it looks like these two may be competing for that spot.
The biggest hurdle for the Giants to overcome if they’re going to significantly improve in 2013 is the lack of physically mature bodies.
We’ll get a good idea of how much of a problem this will be tonight, when they play a full match for the first time this year.
The Lions are probably missing a bit more out of their best 22 than the Giants, but they have a lot more experience to call upon, and I expect this will tell towards the end of the game.
With Redden, Rockliff, Moloney and Zorko running through the midfield, it’s likely the Lions will have the bulk of possession.
Brisbane seem intent on making a strong push for the NAB Cup this year, and they have the personnel and the motivation to win tonight.
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