Mitch Thorp and Jeromey Webberley will both coach from the sidelines as Launceston and Clarence meet in a first-versus-second blockbuster at Bellerive Oval.
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The ex-AFL duo have made two and six changes respectively, with 209cm German-born ruckman Ole Angerstein picked for his Clarence debut while Josh Green and Keegan Wylie return from injury.
Teen forward Noah Holmes will spend another week in the development league despite a bag of six last round.
Launceston has welcomed interim skipper Jake Hinds back from suspension while Grant Holt forced his way back into senior set-up with a 51-touch display in the development league.
Bowen Pearce drops back after four straight games to start the season, as does 16-year-old Colby McKercher, who has been earmarked for "six to eight" senior games this year as he plots a path to the AFL.
A Hudson Medallist in 2018, Thorp has been named as an emergency for the second week running.
"I can't get a game at the moment," the 32-year-old said.
"We've got some key position players in front of the ball - my younger brother [Cody], Joey Groenewegen and Hamish [Leedham] in the ruck that've been doing a great job, I certainly won't be just picking myself ahead of them.
"It's definitely a bonus to get Jake back in, he's a terrific young player and a terrific young man, he's copped his whack and now we get him back."
Arguably the two best-performing sides in the recruiting space last season, Launceston and Clarence are both undefeated in the development league with percentages of 698 and 378 respectively.
The Blues boast the competition's most dangerous forward - Dylan Riley has booted 26 goals in four games including 19 in the past fortnight - but Thorp believes the Roos boast the most top-end talent in the TSL.
"We've kept an eye on Clarence over summer, we often look at the opposition and who's going to be the hardest sides to beat and certainly Clarence is right at the top," he said.
"They've got 250 games worth of AFL experience on their list, Josh Green and Colin Garland and Jeromey Webberley, they're all mature experienced guys.
"We don't have any of those type of guys, we've got long-serving TSL players that have been very strong at this level for as long period of time, but we don't have that experienced top-end talent.
"They've also got some superstar young Devil players coming through their team so we rate them really highly.
"Young [Oliver] Preshaw is probably a young Dylan Riley in the making, he's second in the goalkicking and he's had a very classy start to the year, so we just think they're really well-balanced."
The two sides split their two meetings in 2020, with Clarence winning a soccer-like three-goal affair at Windsor Park in round six and Launceston prevailing by 23 points late in the season at Richmond Oval.
FULL TEAMS
CLARENCE v. LAUNCESTON
Saturday, 2pm at Bellerive Oval
CLARENCE
- B: J. Bailey, Z. Buechner, J. Bealey
- HB: J. Holmes, C. Garland, K. Wylie
- C: J. Harper, E. Jackson, O. Paprotny
- HF: K. Howlett, T. McCallum, C. Whitelaw
- F: J. Barwick, O. Preshaw, J. Green
- R: O. Angerstein, B. Norton, J. Preshaw
- Int: R. Cowie, D. Gardner, S. Green, B. Smith
- Emg: L. Borsboom, H. Burgess, L. Swinton , W. Wall
In: O. Angerstein, K. Wylie, C. Whitelaw, J. Green, S. Green, R. Cowie
Out: J. Steele, O. Davis, J. Young, T. Hanslow, L. Borsboom, L. Swinton
LAUNCESTON
- B: J. Dowling, J. House, J. Tuthill
- HB: M. Hodge, A. Wright, J. Woolley
- C: C. Brown, J. Hinds, J. Smith
- HF: M. Musicka, J. Groenewegen, B. Taylor
- F: B. Pitcher, C. Thorp, D. Riley
- R: H. Leedham, J. Blackberry, B. Palfreyman
- Int: J. Donnellan, G. Holt, T. Miller, Z. Morris
- Emg: S. Foley, C. McKercher, B. Pearce, M. Thorp
In: J. Hinds, G. Holt
Out: C. McKercher, B. Pearce
Hamish Geale
Hamish Geale is a senior reporter at The Examiner. Got good news? Email: hgeale@examiner.com.au
Hamish Geale is a senior reporter at The Examiner. Got good news? Email: hgeale@examiner.com.au
