North Melbourne is set to face a Bulldogs’ outfit full of enthusiasm and with plenty to prove on Sunday after Brendan McCartney made a remarkable 12 changes to his squad.
Among the names missing for the Bulldogs are Robert Murphy, Daniel Cross, Matthew Boyd, Adam Cooney, Ryan Hargrave and Will Minson, but it won’t make things any easier for the Kangaroos with several youngsters desperate to impress.
“It was always planned that this week we’d freshen them up and give them a lighter week on the track,” Bulldogs’ assistant coach Shannon Grant said.
“That’s the good thing about this time of year. We get an opportunity to play the young kids that we’ve recruited last year. We can just see how they stand up against quality opposition.”
Recruits Daniel Pearce, Fletcher Roberts, Jack Redpath, Tom Campbell and Lin Jong have been named in an extended squad.
On Thursday Brad Scott announced Drew Petrie, Scott McMahon and Lachlan Hansen would all be rested from the Kangaroos’ side, while Andrew Swallow and Brent Harvey are expected to spend significant time on the bench.
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