Superstar forward Toby Greene will return to face reigning Premiers Richmond in a blockbuster Saturday night clash at Spotless Stadium.
Greene headlines three inclusions for the GIANTS, with Jacob Hopper slotting straight back into the line-up and Adam Kennedy set to play his first game in over 14 months.
“We know that with Toby, he’ll give everything he’s got,” coach Leon Cameron said.
“He’ll build into his games the next few weeks. We know he had an interrupted pre-season but we’re confident, over the last month, we’ve put a lot of work into him.
“The way he’s trained and his competitive aspect is the reason why we feel as though we can bring him straight back in to make some sort of impact.”
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Hopper returns after missing last week’s clash with the Eagles with calf tightness, while Kennedy comes back in following a knee reconstruction and 435 days on the sidelines.
“Doing a knee and being out for 12 months is always tough and then working your way back through at the lower level has been really good for Adam,” Cameron said.
“His four weeks that he’s played, we think he’s got better and better every week.
“His attitude has never been questioned, and his character and popularity around the footy club is first class.
“Everyone loves him because he applies himself to his rehab, his footy; everything he does he does a hundred miles an hour and we feel he can add some great value to our team this week.”
Kennedy replaces Jeremy Finlayson in the backline while Hopper and Greene will cover the loss of Harry Perryman (hamstring) and Matt de Boer (ankle) to injury.
De Boer played out last week’s game after sustaining an ankle injury in the third quarter in Perth and is expected to be out for 2-3 weeks.
Former Tiger Brett Deledio will return from nine weeks on the sidelines with hamstring and calf injuries at NEAFL level, lining up in the curtain-raiser against the Suns at 1:45pm at Spotless Stadium.
“We heavily discussed bringing him back through the AFL,” Cameron said.
“I think when you come up against the most intense team in the competition, you’ve got to make that judgement call on how many you can bring in on limited game time and preparation.
“Brett’s in a really good spot, we expect him to play some really good footy at the lower level and then all going to plan, he puts his hand up for next week.”
Cameron knows his charges have a tough task ahead of them, taking on the reigning Premiers and ladder leaders.
“They’ve been in red-hot form for the past 18 months and they sit on the top of the ladder for a reason,” he said.
“I’m confident it’s going to be a cracking game on Saturday night and I’m looking forward to it. I encourage everyone to get out and watch on Saturday night.”
Head to Spotless Stadium on Saturday for a huge night at the footy - NEAFL begins at 1:45pm with a special screening of Ant-Man on the big screen at 4:20pm before the GIANTS take on the Tigers at 7:25pm.
Tickets start from just $24 with kids in free. Click here to get your tickets today.
GIANTS v Richmond
Saturday, July 14 at 7:25pm
Spotless Stadium
FB: Phil Davis, Sam Taylor, Heath Shaw
HB: Josh Kelly, Aidan Corr, Nick Haynes
C: Adam Kennedy, Ryan Griffen, Sam Reid
HF: Harry Himmelberg, Rory Lobb, Tim Taranto
FF: Brent Daniels, Adam Tomlinson, Dylan Shiel
RR: Dawson Simpson, Stephen Coniglio, Callan Ward
Interchange: Jacob Hopper, Toby Greene, Lachie Whitfield, Zac Langdon
In: Toby Greene, Jacob Hopper, Adam Kennedy
Out: Matt de Boer (ankle), Harry Perryman (hamstring), Jeremy Finlyason (omitted)
Emergencies: Aiden Bonar, Matt Buntine, Lachlan Keeffe, Jeremy Finlayson
