AFL: Carlton deal a pair of Jacks

Carlton will unleash a pair of Jacks from its card deck for tonight’s opening-round clash at the MCG

Jack Newnes will debut for the Blues against Richmond in the season-opener

Carlton will unleash a pair of Jacks for tonight’s opening-round clash at the MCG as the Blues fight to snap a seven-year losing streak against Richmond.

Amid the uncertainty over the opening round, Carlton coach David Teague had no hesitation in confirming the selection of midfield recruits Jack Martin and Jack Newnes for the Round 1 battle.

Martin, who crossed from the Gold Coast Suns, and Newnes, the former Saint, will make their debuts for the Blues, who have lost fellow recruit Eddie Betts (calf) for the season opener.

“It’s sad that Eddie misses out, but someone else gets an opportunity,” Teague said. “Our team is shaping up pretty well. Jack Martin and Jack Newnes will debut for the Carlton Football Club so that is really exciting.”

Teague also confirmed Sam Petrevski-Seton, who has been managed at stages during the pre-season, would take his place in the side. “Sam played last week for a half and he will be selected,” Teague said.

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Carlton haven’t beaten Richmond since 2013 and have been defeated by the Tigers in every Round 1 contest since 2012.

Teague said he wanted to see the team continue to grow and adapt to the challenges thrown at them this season. “I’m really looking forward to seeing us grow,” Teague said. “We have still got a lot to do to get better and learn.”

Despite the Blues dropping both their Marsh series pre-season games, Teague was confident there was “positive signs” to build on for the team.

“We have got what we wanted in terms of preparation, so we are really comfortable with our preparation for Round 1,” Teague said.

“I think we saw that we could move the ball quickly and use it well and, add the extra game against Collingwood, our defence was quite strong in that game.

“But right now, we haven’t put four quarters together and that’s the challenge to be able to play for 120 minutes and to be able to do that against the opposition and that’s what we’ll be aiming to do.”

Herald Sun