Games crush benches star
HAWTHORN has opted to rest veteran Shaun Burgoyne for Friday night’s crunch match with Collingwood as the reality of shorter breaks between games hits home.
The AFL has told clubs, with all 18 now out of Victoria for at least the next 30 days, to prepare for potentially as many as five games across 20 days in order to help get in the full season of matches.
It could include breaks as short as four days, which Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said should be the “absolute minimum”.
Hawthorn is taking on the
Magpies off a five-day break after enduring what Alastair Clarkson called a “hectic” two days last week when almost 80 players and staff had to relocate to Sydney.
The premiership coach said his Hawks would adjust, but he could not guarantee Hawthorn would field its best team if forced to play off continued short turnarounds.
“It just might mean that you’ve got to push deeper into your squad,” Clarkson said.
“But, if you have to do that, then it’s probably going to come at a cost to the game in terms of having your highquality players out there.
“For instance, we’re not going to play Shaun Burgoyne this week — off a fiveday break we don’t think it’s a wise decision to have him back up.”
Burgoyne, 37, has not missed a match since Round 6 last year.
Collingwood and Hawthorn have each named two debutants.
The Magpies have selected father-son tall Will Kelly and, in a selection surprise, exciting small forward Atu Bosenavulagi on the back of backto-back losses.
The Hawks have named silky playmaker Will Day and 186cm forward Josh Morris to make their debuts.