Fifth-ranked Tasmania Devils will take on Oakleigh Chargers without their star co-skipper Lachie Cowan who is on AFL Academy duties.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Wing Luke Nicholson, who was a late withdrawal last weekend, returns for Sunday's round seven NAB League match in Sandringham.
It's set to be a ripping encounter with both teams starting the season strongly.
The Devils have a 4-1 win-loss record while the fourth-placed Chargers are undefeated.
Coach Jeromey Webberley said the Devils would have to band together to cover Cowan's absence in the back line.
"We just think as a back six and seven we're going to have to chip in that little more," he said.
"We've obviously got Tom McCallum there who is an integral part to us intercepting the ball.
"We'll probably use Braidy Simpson and Isaac Hyatt and the like to go down there and try and bounce the ball out of there for us."
North Launceston's Cowan had 20 disposals, seven rebound 50s and kicked a goal in his team's 29-point victory against Western Jets last weekend.
McCallum's intercept game was on display with 18 disposals and eight marks.
Webberley said the Devils would have to watch out for the Chargers' accurate kicking game.
"They possess the ball for long periods of time, you'd think they'd turn it over a fair bit but they don't," he said.
"We need to make sure when we don't have possession of the ball that we're closing them down and forcing them down the line and try to take their uncontested-mark game away from them."
Webberley praised the forward line pressure his players had been applying.
"The last few weeks their defensive pressure is reaping offensive rewards," he said.
Jack Callinan and North Launceston's Brandon Leary kicked five goals between them against the Jets.
The coach said he pulled many edits from last weekend's tape which showcased his forwards' unheralded defensive acts.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.examiner.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: @examineronline
- Follow us on Instagram: @examineronline
- Follow us on Google News: The Examiner