Essendon vs. Melbourne
Sunday April 30th
1:10pm (AEST)
Etihad Stadium
Essendon enters its clash with Melbourne after a five-day break following the ANZAC Day triumph against Collingwood.
Coach John Worsfold has opted to rest three players (Aaron Francis, Matthew Leuenberger and James Kelly), while Brent Stanton was left out.
Martin Gleeson, Conor McKenna, Tom Bellchambers and Ben Howlett reurn to provide fresh legs for the Bombers.
The match will be Bellchambers' first at senior level since round ten, 2015.
Patrick Ambrose was named in the original team, but withdrew after hurting his quad at training. Matt Dea is his replacement.
You can read Robert Shaw's match preview here.
Recent Meetings
R2, 2016, Essendon 11.14 (80) d Melbourne 10.7 (67) at the MCG
R15, 2015, Essendon 10.9 (69) d Melbourne 7.18 (60) at the MCG
R13, 2014, Melbourne 12.6 (78) d Essendon 10.17 (77) at the MCG
R2, 2013, Essendon 28.16 (184) d Melbourne 5.6 (36) at the MCG
R10, 2012, Melbourne 8.10 (58) d Essendon 6.16 (52) at the MCG
Teams
Essendon
In: B.Howlett , T.Bellchambers , M.Gleeson , C.McKenna, M.Dea
Out: J.Kelly (Rested) , B.Stanton (Omitted) , M.Leuenberger (Rested) , A.Francis (Rested), P.Ambrose (quad)
Note: Patrick Ambrose was withdrawn from the team on Saturday with Matt Dea called in to replace him.
B: Matt Dea, Michael Hurley, Martin Gleeson
HB: Mark Baguley, Mitch Brown, Ben McNiece
C: Travis Colyer, Zach Merrett, Andrew McGrath
HF: Orazio Fantasia, Cale Hooker, David Zaharakis
F: Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Joe Daniher, Brendon Goddard
R: Tom Bellchambers, Ben Howlett, Dyson Heppell
I: Darcy Parish, Josh Green, Jobe Watson, Conor McKenna
E: Brent Stanton, James Stewart, Kyle Langford
Melbourne
In: Jordan Lewis, Mitch Hannan, Cameron Pedersen, Oscar McDonald, Tomas Bugg
Out: Billy Stretch (Omitted), Jesse Hogan (Family), Timothy Smith (Rib), Jake Spencer (Shoulder), James Harmes (Omitted)
B: Michael Hibberd, Tom McDonald, Neville Jetta
HB: Jordan Lewis, Sam Frost, Bernie Vince
C: Jayden Hunt, Nathan Jones, Jake Melksham
HF: Christian Petracca, Jack Watts, Alex Neal-Bullen
F: Jay Kennedy-Harris, Mitch Hannan, Jeff Garlett
R: Cameron Pedersen, Clayton Oliver, Jack Viney
I: Christian Salem, Dom Tyson, Oscar McDonald, Tomas Bugg
E: Billy Stretch, Sam Weideman, James Harmes
Key match ups
Bellchambers v Pedersen: The Bombers have a clear height advantage in the ruck, but Pedersen has been a strong competitior over a number of years. He's good in the air and will look to push forward. For the Dons, Bellchambers is playing his first game since mid-2015, but comes into the side on the back of some impressive VFL form.
Baguley v Garlett: Jeff Garlett is the Demons leading goal kicker this year with 12. The next best is Jack Watts with eight. If Baguley can shut out Garlett it will go a long way to helping the Dons win the game.
Goddard v Oliver: They may not directly oppose each other, but they are the key men for the two sides around the stoppages. Oliver has 13 more clearances than any other Melbourne player this season, while Goddard leads the way for the Bombers.
McDonald-Tipungwuti v Hibberd: Former Bomber Michael Hibberd could go to any of the Dons small forwards including Orazio Fantasia, Josh Green and Anthony McDonald Tipungwuti. Hibberd was impressive in his debut for Melbourne on Monday, offering drive and solid defensive work across half back. Watch for Walla to sweat on Hibberd's left foot.
Side note
Sunday games for the Bombers are all about families ... so celebrate one of the Club's finest here.
