There will another fresh face in the Tasmania Devils' squad this weekend when the state side takes the field at Windsor Park on Sunday against the Western Jets.
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Geordie Payne is another in a long list of debutants for the Devils this season, with over 20 fresh faces making their league debut despite the competition only entering round six this weekend.
The Wynyard forward has been in good form on the North-West Coast and coach Jeromey Webberley revealed the moment he got to deliver the good news.
"I was up on the North-West Coast on Wednesday so it was nice to get over to him and let him know he was in personally and we're really excited about what he's going to offer not just this year but next year as well."
"He played a couple of games in the pre-season for us and did some really nice things, he's out of the North-West Coast and was probably a little bit unlucky not to be in the first couple of rounds.
"He's bashed down the door, he's found some super form up there in the local competition in Wynyard and he's kicking goals and playing other positions as well with some small forward roles, some wing and some half-back and he's been able to do that."
North Launceston's Connor Leeflang and Ethan Hubbard drop out of the side which will play the Devils' first home game since round three.
While the forecasts are predicting wet conditions will greet the two sides on Sunday, Webberley was confident his side had the capability to adapt.
"Our inside midfielders, like Heath Ollington and Tom Beaumont, it suits those guys down to the ground but I know everyone thinks in the wet you need a big contested presence but when it does spill to the ground you need some leg speed," he said.
"We think we've got a nice little mix of guys that can get their hands dirty and some guys that can take territory just with their leg-speed around the contest.
"It's really important to be able to get to the next contest as people trudge through the mud and it becomes a really slow contested game."
The Devils enter the game in sixth position in the league with a 3-1 record while the Western Jets are eighth.
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Adam Daunt
Sports reporter at The Examiner. Focus on basketball and netball but occasionally rolls the arm over for some cricket coverage in the summer. Previously from Adelaide with a stint in Byron Bay. Get in touch: adam.daunt@examiner.com.au.
Sports reporter at The Examiner. Focus on basketball and netball but occasionally rolls the arm over for some cricket coverage in the summer. Previously from Adelaide with a stint in Byron Bay. Get in touch: adam.daunt@examiner.com.au.
