Opening Round teams: Dustin Martin ruled out, Marc Pittonet left out by Carlton

The Blues’ ruck setup was one of fascination over the off-season, now they’ve made their choice as they prepare to face Brisbane. Get all the latest team news for Opening Round here.

Journeyman forward Orazio Fantasia will play his long awaited 100th AFL game on Friday night after earning an immediate debut for Carlton against Brisbane at the Gabba.

Fantasia will take on the Lions in a smaller Blues outfit featuring six-gamer Jack Carroll, with ruckman Marc Pittonet left out of the side and Harry McKay set to take up the back-up ruck duties behind Tom De Koning.

Matt Kennedy has been named on a wing for the Blues and is likely to play the hybrid midfield-deep forward role where he was occasionally deployed last year.

Brisbane will take in 20 of its starting 22 from last year’s grand final, with fullback Jack Payne returning after missing the season decider with a hamstring strain and Kai Lohmann and Jarryd Lyons named on the five-man bench.

Conor McKenna (hamstring) and Deven Robertson are the two members of the side who are missing, as Lachie Neale (groin) and Jarrod Berry (shoulder) recovered from their first pre-season hit-outs last week without issue and were named to play.

Second-year rookie Seth Campbell will make his debut for Richmond against Gold Coast on Saturday, with both mature age recruit Sam Naismith and Samson Ryan named to take on the Suns.

Thomson Dow has been included for the Tigers and Sam Banks was named to start on a wing, with Marlion Pickett on the bench.

Gold Coast has named academy graduate Bodhi Uwland in defence for his fourth game, with no room for Mac Andrew or highly rated draft pick Ethan Read in a smaller backline to take on the Tigers.

There was also no senior opportunity given to Collingwood’s Finlay Macrae despite pre-season hype over the tough on-baller, who was named in the emergencies along with premiership player Billy Frampton as coach Craig McRae backed Ash Johnson to have the first crack at full-forward for the Pies.

The Giants have handed a debut to No. 59 pick Harvey Thomas against the reigning premiers after a blistering first pre-season from the 177cm left-footer.

Sam Naismith will take the ruck load for the Tigers. Pic: Michael Klein

Thomas appeared to be in competition with Darcy Jones for a spot in the Giants’ forward line, but the highly rated former pick 21 was ruled out earlier this week due to a disrupted preparation caused by knee swelling and tonsillitis.

Aaron Cadman has snatched Lachie Keeffe’s forward-ruck spot through his impressive pre-season campaign, after No. 1 pick lost his place in the senior side after round 20 last year.

Veteran Nick Haynes and three-game speedster Toby McMullin loom as the most likely substitute candidates, while Jacob Wehr has received the first crack at a wing role over Ryan Angwin.

GWS and Gold Coast both announced new stadium names for the 2024 season on Thursday. The Giants have signed a deal with a French energy company for their ground to be called Engie Stadium, while the Suns have swapped naming rights partners, with Carrarra Oval to be known as People First Stadium.

DUSTY TO MISS DIMMA, SUNS BLOCKBUSTER

Richmond superstar Dustin Martin won’t face his former coach Damien Hardwick’s Gold Coast on Saturday with new Tigers coach Adem Yze declaring the risk of him playing him “is too high” after he suffered a calf issue this week.

Yze said Martin would be “anxious and angry” to miss out on Opening Round but the five-day break before the blockbuster Thursday night clash against Carlton had to be considered.

He said the short break was also why the Tigers decided they couldn’t risk captain Toby Nankervis and Tom Lynch for the Sunsclash as both recover from foot injuries.

Dustin Martin won’t play against the Suns this weekend. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos



“(Martin) is obviously a bit sore, he’s got a corked calf. The risk of him playing this weekend is going to be too high, sowe’re going to pull him out,” Yze said.

“We’ve got a five-day break leading into the Carlton game - he’s too important for us to go and push really hard for roundzero up there, flying up there, all those sorts of things.

“It’s the fact that there’s games of footy, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, he just wants to play footy, so knowing himhe’ll be really anxious and angry about the fact that he’s not playing.

“But we’ve just got to be really smart, he’s just too important for us.”

Martin took a blow to the calf this week and while scans cleared him of any major injury, he wasn’t able to get clearancefor Saturday’s game on the Gold Coast.

Jack Graham is also missing after the 26-year-old suffered a quad injury in the practice match against Collingwood and will miss the first month of the season.

Originally published as Opening Round teams: Dustin Martin ruled out, Marc Pittonet left out by Carlton