While Daniel Wells (groin), Ben Cunnington (foot), Alan Obst (quadricep) and Nathan O’Keefe (glandular fever) have been ruled out already it’s a different story for Andrew Swallow (groin), Josh Smith (groin), Michael Firrito (ankle), Liam Anthony (finger) and Leigh Adams (knee) who must prove they’ve done enough to warrant selection.
“It’s all based on their training loads and training history this preseason including the number of sessions they’ve completed,” head of sports science Peter Mulkearns told kangaroos.com.au.
While all of the players listed are close to overcoming their respective health issues, Mulkearns says the club won’t be taking any chances with them.
“It’s about reducing the risk of injury and making sure we get the best performance out of the players. We definitely don’t want to put them into a situation where the likelihood of injury or incompletion of the match increases. It can affect their skill level and also affects the skill level of those around them.”
The match will start at 7pm at Eureka Stadium and will be the first official hit-out for the young Kangaroos side since new senior coach Brad Scott took over late last year.
The club may look to use fill-in players from affiliated VFL sides North Ballarat and Werribee if there are holes left due to injury.
A second match will be held on Friday, February 12 at Arden Street and those that missed out will be again vying for a spot.
“Definitely some of them will be a chance to play in the second match but we’ll have to go through the same process again in assessing where they’re at,” Mulkearns added.
“We will always revisit the list and make sure every player is alright. It is a collaborative approach involving everyone in the football department as well as the medical, strength and conditioning areas. We have to be detailed in our approach to all training sessions and practice matches are a part of that.”
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