Young athletic midfielder Kobe Mutch is set to make his return to football this weekend, named on the extended interchange in Essendon VFL’s round 12 match against Port Melbourne on Sunday.

Mutch trained with the VFL playing group this week, overcoming a high-grade hamstring injury sustained in the round three AFL win over Melbourne.

Liam McKenna, Liam Read and Jacob Brown join Mutch on the extended bench, as part of a 27-man squad.

Dynamic defenders Matt Dea, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher and Marty Gleeson form half of the back six, while Will Snelling, Jordan Houlahan and Noah Gown make up part of the forward line.

Vice-captain Heath Hocking has been named to start at ruck rover, while his counterpart Danny Younan and superior Aaron Heppell sit on the extended interchange.

NAB League’s Sandringham Dragons youngster Riley Bowman has been named 23^rd player for a fourth consecutive week. 

The VFL Dons currently sit one spot below their opposition Port Melbourne on the ladder in third place.

The final team will be announced before the first bounce at 2:10pm on Sunday, June 23 at Adcon Stadium.

Live match updates will be available via Essendon VFL’s Twitter account, while the game will be broadcast live on Channel 7. 

Brooke Varney is in the final year of her Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) degree at RMIT University. As part of their strategic partnership, Essendon Football Club and RMIT University are committed to providing opportunities for students, staff, players and the wider community.