THE OPENING round of the 2015 season will feature plenty of new faces, as well as a new club with Banyule set to play its first game in the NFL when it hosts Heidelberg West at R.J. Brockwell Oval.
This weekend’s action commences tonight at Bill Lawry Oval where Harmit Singh’s new-looking Northcote Park hosts West Preston-Lakeside from 7:30pm.
Tarkyn Lockyer and Wayne Schultz headline the new names stepping out for the Cougars, while David Rodan will play his first game for the Roosters, alongside VFL talent Paul Johnson and former Epping spearhead Aaron Willitts.
Bundoora will field a near unrecognisable side in its clash with Heidelberg at Yulong Reserve, with Josh Grabowski, Brenton Keating and Beau Moorcroft – the son of key forward Gary – all named for their first game for the Bulls.
Heidelberg welcomes former St Kilda and Wangaratta Rovers forward Daniel Archer to its lineup, while Nick Miller makes his much deserved return to the senior side after a wretched run with injury.
Heath Ayres and Doug Morris have been named for Lower Plenty’s home clash with neighbour Montmorency. The Magpies welcome back James Brooker, as well as recruits Stephen McCallum and Rowan Hoare.
Meanwhile, Simon Andrews headlines a list of five new recruits stepping out for North Heidelberg in its home match against 2014 preliminary finalist Macleod. The Roos have named former Whittlesea forward Lucas Hobbs and returning midfielder Jack Bianchin.
There are also a host of changes amongst the Division 2 side, which includes Hurstbridge rolling out its off-season recruits Brayden Shaw, Micheal Farrelly and Jarrod Tilley. The Bridges opponent, the Fitzroy Stars, have included new spearhead Daniel Francis for the match at Preston City Oval.
Harley Ryan makes his Lalor debut when the Bloods take a trip to Mernda in a rematch of the 2014 first semi final. The Demons have named five new faces, including former Northcote Park and Fitzroy Stars utility Bradley Kairouz.
Thomastown will field a vastly different side to the one which won last year’s Division 3 Grand Final, with Adrian Natoli and Joseph Vaccaro amongst eight new players named for the Bears’ clash with Panton Hill. The Redbacks welcome back forward Ben Finnin, alongside Mitch Anderson and Daniel Haynes.
Craig Hayes has named a fresh-looking Diamond Creek side for its trip to Whittlesea, with former Northcote Park tall James Hodder among eight recruits selected for the Creekers. New Eagle Daniel Sage will also make his return to the NFL.
In Division 3, Paul Harrison and Simon Crump have both been named for South Morang ahead of its home match against beaten grand finalist Reservoir.
Heidelberg West will field nine new faces against competition newcomer Banyule, while forward Chris Chilcott is among seven recruits set to make their Epping debut when the Blues host St Mary’s.
Continue below for all the team changes. Click on the links to see the selected teams in starting positions.
DIVISION 1
Selected teams: Northcote Park v West Preston-Lakeside
Northcote Park: NEW – Matthew Adams, Bryn Barnes-Webb, Tarkyn Lockyer, Jake Mills, Jacob Mitchell, Harmit Singh, Wayne Schultz, Joel West
West Preston-Lakeside: NEW – Paul Johnson, David Rodan, Aaron Willitts
Selected teams: Bundoora v Heidelberg
Bundoora: NEW – Josh Grabowski, Jarryd Hood, Brenton Keating, Blair Kelly, Dale Marshall, Beau Moorcroft, Jack Philpott, Ben Shelton, Luke Simpson
Heidelberg: NEW – Daniel Archer
Selected teams: Lower Plenty v Montmorency
Lower Plenty: NEW – Heath Ayres, Debri Kutrolli, Doug Morris, Blake Poyser, Justin Raiti
Montmorency: NEW – James Brooker, Rowan Hoare, Liam Hunt, Stephen McCallum
Selected teams: North Heidelberg v Macleod
North Heidelberg: NEW – Simon Andrews, Luke Dowdle, Michael Florance, Kyle Green, Jackson Jones
Macleod: NEW – Jack Bianchin, Lucas Hobbs, Riley Salvador
DIVISION 2
Selected teams: Mernda v Lalor
Mernda: NEW – Bradley Kairouz, Josh Ksiazek, Thomas McEwan, Thomas McIntosh, Jack Wallace
Lalor: NEW – Jackson Freebairn, Shane Jacobs, Jason Kelly, Harley Ryan
Selected teams: Thomastown v Panton Hill
Thomastown: NEW – Josh Beare, Marcus Casagrande, David Janevski, Frank Multari, Adrian Natoli, James Rizzolio, Joseph Vaccaro, David Wall
Panton Hill: NEW – Mitchell Anderson, Alex Dines, Ben Finnin, Daniel Haynes, Oscar Weichmann
Selected teams: Fitzroy Stars v Hurstbridge
Fitzroy Stars: NEW – Koolyn Briggs, Ben Church, Daniel Francis, Jikola Whyman
Hurstbridge: NEW – Chris Burton, Mitchell Burton, Ryan Burton, Hayden Farrelly, Micheal Farrelly, Aaron Geary, John Kreuzer, Tyron Loader, Brayden Shaw, Jarrod Tilley
Selected teams: Whittlesea v Diamond Creek
Whittlesea: NEW – Jaron Murphy, Daniel Sage
Diamond Creek: NEW – Tim Chivers, Bradley Deed, James Hodder, Alex Libertino, Chris Libertino, Andrew Oliver, Jack Prosser, James Wuelfert
DIVISION 3
Selected teams: Banyule v Heidelberg West
Banyule: First game in Northern Football League
Heidelberg West: NEW – Tim Amor, Casey Brown, Peter Connors, Alex Demeo, Brendan Hill, Liam Pender, Matthew Reinke, Josh Smith Thompson, Nathan Walsh
Selected teams: Epping v St Mary’s
Epping: NEW – Alec Buchan, Joel Carter, Chris Chilcott, Luke De Vincentis, Lewis Harry, Michael Kruze, Adam Nash
St Mary’s: NEW – Anthony Belvedere
Selected teams: South Morang v Reservoir
South Morang: NEW – Simon Crump, Paul Harrison, Luke Shelton, Travis Stevens
Reservoir: TBA
