All the AFL selection news ahead of round 1
Richmond won’t be the only side playing some young guns on Thursday night, with the Blues set to blood a father-son draft pick, as they prepare to welcome back a major star.
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Carlton coach Michael Voss has officially ruled out Coleman Medallist Charlie Curnow against Richmond as father-son pick Lucas Camporeale was named for the most unlikely AFL debut.
But the certain return of star inside midfielder Sam Walsh will put selection pressure on former captain Sam Docherty ahead of Thursday’s MCG clash.
Camporeale was told by coach Michael Voss on Sunday he and Nick Haynes would make their Carlton debuts, with the club facetimeing father Scott so he could witness the announcement.
Voss on Sunday morning told the crowd at Carlton’s open training session Sam Walsh would play against the Tigers after overcoming a minor hamstring complaint.
He is raring to go and could have played against GWS last week in the community series game after weeks of strong training.
Curnow had a minor knee procedure last month to remove a screw in his troublesome knee but has responded well with nearly two weeks of full training.
The Blues would never take into account Richmond’s expected struggles this season as part of the selection process.
But if they can get over the Tigers side coming off a 2024 wooden spoon it would give him another full week before a Thursday night round 2 clash against Hawthorn.
Docherty played a full game as an inside mid against St Kilda then only the second half against GWS last week after returning from his ACL tear in the elimination final last year.
But with Walsh coming into the side his inside midfielder minutes will fall and the club wants to play Ollie Holland, Adam Saad and Lachie Cowan off half back.
There is still a real chance Docherty plays in round 1, with his versatility as a half back, wing and inside midfielder keeping him in the frame.
But as Carlton tries to re-energise its midfield and push Ollie Hollands to half back, he will need to again play his best football to be an early-season regular.
Wingman Lucas Camporeale was the No 54 draft pick last year, taken behind inside midfielder brother Ben (pick 43).
The Blues had high hopes for him and were always going to use their final pick of the draft on Lucas to ensure he received a two-year mandatory contract.
But there was a chance if he wasn’t a father-son he might have drifted through to the rookie draft.
So his emergence as a round 1 debutante after playing a full game on the wing against GWS is a super story for the Blues faithful.
He won 20 possessions in that GWS contest playing and seems to have gone ahead of young runner Jaxon Binns.
Brother Ben is out for another month with an ankle injury but might have to build strong form given the competition for spots as a centre square mid.
Voss made clear Curnow’s unavailability on Thursday was no reflection on the strong progress he had made in recent weeks.
“We will kick off with the bad news of the day that he won’t play round 1,” he said.
“We are deciding to be a bit more patient there. He is back training, you will see him running around today and moving really, really well but we need to get some more work under his belt. He’s had a really good week and a half or two weeks. We feel like if we get another week under his belt it will put him in a really strong position.
“It’s not only getting him back but we need him thriving for another 20 plus games.”
Walsh only returned from a back injury in round 5 last year but is ready to hit the ground running this week.
“If he gets through today he plays,” Voss said.
“He has a heap of training under his belt, we could have rolled the dice against GWS because a freak. He was a man possessed the other day at training and we were trying to keep everyone safe around him because he tackles everyone.
“We are looking forward to getting him back, to get 23 games plus games out of him is going to be a real plus.”
THE FOUR TIGERS IN LINE FOR BLOCKBUSTER DEBUT
– Jon Ralph and Lauren Wood
Richmond could hand debuts to as many as four of its 2024 draft selections against Carlton, with Luke Trainor expected to play the Blues and Sam Lalor only needing to get through Monday’s training session.
The Tigers go into that clash in an unfamiliar position as massive underdogs, but are hopeful their supporters will turn out in droves for a home game that kicks off round 1.
No. 21 draft pick Trainor was again dominant as a 195cm key back who wins the ball at will in match simulation on Thursday, with No. 1 overall draft pick Lalor in a non-contact hat, but in exciting form.
“Luke hasn’t missed a beat,” Richmond coach Adem Yze told the Herald Sun this week.
“His pre-season kind of deserves the opportunity, and we wanted to give him that exposure against Collingwood (in the community series), so we did that and he came on and just fits in nicely.
“To be fair, he has got an experienced back group around him, so it’s a lot easier to throw him in there with the support around him, (as) we’ve got a younger forward profile.”
As Lalor recovers from a jaw injury suffered against West Coast, he needs only to train well on Monday.
He has already come out of concussion protocols as part of the fallout from that incident.
Yze told the Herald Sun that Lalor had overcome his jaw concerns, but needed enough load in his legs to be picked, but he dispatched any concerns on Thursday.
Lalor had two wisdom teeth removed and a plate inserted to his jaw following the practice match incident, which hampered his ability to eat for a number of days and affected his physical preparation.
Key tall Thomas Sims (pick 28) again impressed in match simulation and kicked an early goal from a strong contested mark. The 199cm key tall from Northern Knights is a chance to take on the Blues, but if he misses out, he will debut early in the season.
He is in a similar position to No. 23 draft pick Harry Armstrong, also 195cm, who, like Sims, played in the yellow possibles team against the black ‘probables side’.
Both have shown enough in their early skirmishes to believe they are on the edge of selection for the Tigers.
Pick 43 from 2023, Liam Fawcett, is also considered a possibility to play in the forward line after he was hampered with a back injury last year, which could mean five debutants for the game.
“The good thing about that is the excitement, but we won’t just throw them to the wolves, as such,” Yze said. “We’ve got some experienced guys who are going well and we need them out there to support, so we’ll try and have a blend of both.”
The club’s No. 14 draft pick Jonty Faull, another aggressive key forward, also played some time in the match simulation as he recovers from a back stress reaction and will be available for VFL in coming weeks.
Tall midfielder Josh Smillie, the club’s No. 7 draft pick, is slowly recovering from a hamstring strain and is still some weeks away.
“He hasn’t reinjured it, he’s a young guy who’s still learning his body so we’ve just got to temper how fast we get him cracking,” Yze said.
“But he would have been one who would have been knocking the door down.”
Richmond expects Tom Lynch to play the Blues on Thursday night, but he will also need to train well on Monday to prove he is ready after concussion protocols ahead of round 1.
With Jacob Koschitzke playing back at times and Noah Balta suspended for the first four games after a summer assault charge, Lynch will need some key talls around him.
Richmond’s 192cm swingman Jacob Bauer shapes as most likely to play alongside Lynch early.
The corresponding game last year drew 83,881 fans to a five-point Blues victory and while there will be hard times ahead for the rebuilding Tigers their fans could show up if Lalor and the early draftees are selected.
Dion Prestia (achilles) and Hugo Ralphsmith (hamstring) are also out of consideration for round 1, while the club’s recovering quartet of ACL victims are all more than a month away.
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