Melbourne co-captain Nathan Jones says Jay Kennedy-Harris and Alex Georgiou likely to join experienced core in Round 1

MATURE-AGE recruit Alex Georgiou and teenage forward Jay Kennedy-Harris are in the mix of new Melbourne players poised to debut in Round 1.

MATURE-AGE recruit Alex Georgiou and teenage forward Jay Kennedy-Harris are the extreme mix of the new Melbourne players poised to debut in the opening round.

Co-captain Nathan Jones nominated the pair as the likely inclusions along with trade acquisitions Daniel Cross, Viv Michie, Bernie Vince and Dom Tyson against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.

“There’s a good chance both those boys will play. Alex has been really strong down in defence and he has had a great NAB Challenge series coming off some good footy in the SANFL and he has been filling the role of Col Garland who has been out for a while,’’ Jones said.

FISHER TO MISS DEES CLASH

DEMONS OUT TO WIN BACK TRUST

“Jay Kennedy-Harris, we saw him against Richmond, is a pretty exciting little forward. If he plays, I’m sure he’ll provide some real excitement for the fans.’’

Jones said the Demons are focusing on coach Paul Roos’ new game plan to beat St Kilda for the first time since 2006 at a venue where the Demons have lost their past 16 home-and-away games.

“It’s a new coach, a new game plan and a new season. We had some success there (beating Richmond) in the pre-season. I think the Etihad hoodoo or whatever they call it isn’t real,’’ he said.

“We’re going to play a new style of footy there. Obviously, that has been pretty prominent over the pre-season period in what we’re trying to do. If we can play the way Roosy and the other coaches want us to play and everyone plays their role, which is what we’ve spoken about over the pre-season, we’ll be in with a chance.’’

Former Oakleigh Chargers skipper Jay Kennedy-Harris is in the frame to make his AFL debut against St Kilda. Photo by Michael Dodge

In a match billed as the battle of the team with no forward line (Melbourne) against one with no midfield (St Kilda), Jones believed the Demons’ bolstered onball unit can tip the balance.

“You look at the best teams and there’s 10 or 12 guys who can go through there. In previous years, we’ve only had three or four,’’ the skipper said.

“And we’ve still got that young talent, Jack Viney, Jimmy Toumpas, so we’re starting to get that core group together and hopefully we can get all those guys up on game day so the load is spread more evenly and the expectation isn’t placed on too few.

“The midfield has been an issue for us in the past and we’ve been lucky enough to bolster it over the pre-season. I think we’re pretty primed for a crack at the weekend.

“Although our forward line is understrength not having Dawesy (Chris Dawes), Hoges (Jesse Hogan) and Mitch (Clark), but we’re pretty confident with the boys we’ve got in there. Jack Fitzpatrick and Pedo (Cameron Pedersen) will be our keys and we’ve got some real talent around them in the mid to small forward range.

“Roosy encourages the mids to get forward at times. But I wouldn’t underestimate our forward line, we’ve still got guys like Jeremy Howe, Wattsy (Jack Watts), possibly Jay Kennedy-Harris, Shannon Byrnes. We’ve got some real experience and talent down there to provide a strong marking presence if we play into their hands as to how we use the footy.’’

Alex Georgiou was working as a civil engineer on the Southern Expressway duplication and playing senior football for Norwood before he was rookie listed by Melbourne.

On the biggest change as Jones heads into his ninth AFL season, he said: “Obviously, how Roosy has handled the whole thing. The game style and how he wants us to play is pretty simple, but his relationships and how he adapts for each player’s personality and his ability to be able to motivate the different personalities is something that I’ve really noticed.

“From where we’ve come from, it has been a pretty bleak period for the footy club and a lot of the players who have been through that were possibly scarred. So Roosy has done a great job building back the belief and confidence in a lot of the group. And we’re looking forward to getting out there and testing ourselves against the Saints and, hopefully, implementing what we’ve practised in the pre-season.’’

Jones said the players were right behind club’s plan to handle the sensitive issue of Clark’s personal leave.

“I’m really close mates with him, so I’ve been in touch with him. It’s a bit of a fine balance at the moment trying to give him the space he needs. He’s going pretty well, he has a good plan in place, he just needs time to relax and the entire footy club understands that. The more people that understand that, the quicker he’ll be able to move on and get himself on track. Look, we want him back as quick as we can, but more importantly, we just want him to get right,’’ he said.