Jesse Hogan and Nick Haynes are confirmed starters for the Giants’ MCG date on Sunday with a Richmond sidexjmtzyw also hunting for its first victory of the season.
They join young gun Tanner Bruhn as Greater Western Sydney’s inclusions for the round 2 clash, with Jacob Hopper (managed) and omitted pair Matt de Boer and Lachie Keeffe going out.
It’s a concerning development for Hopper, who had an interrupted summer recovering from post-season knee surgery, while ruckman Braydon Preuss will have to wait longer for his club debut.
Hogan missed the season opener with soreness after struggling with soft-tissue setbacks in recent years, but played about 70 minutes in the VFL in preparation for his 100th career AFL game against the Tigers.
Former co-captain Callan Ward (250) and Tim Taranto (100) will also bring up milestones.
For Haynes, it is hopefully the end of a torrid month dealing with a stomach concern that also relegated him to second-tier level a week ago.
Coach Leon Cameron was pleased to welcome back best-22 staples Hogan and Haynes for what shapes as an important early season contest.
“They’ve clearly both had interrupted pre-seasons but trained strongly over the past few weeks, performed well in the VFL last Saturday and pulled up well from training on Thursday,” Cameron said.
“Nick’s our All-Australian defender and as soon as he felt comfortable he could train strongly and perform, then we were keen to get him back into the team.
“Jesse’s completed a good block of training now and is ready to go. We didn’t want to push him for round 1 but he’s fully fit and excited to get back out there on Sunday.
“Tanner will also come into the side after a strong second pre-season and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do.”
Cameron also paid tribute to the milestone men, particularly Ward, who he called “a wonderful person”.
“He really has had an incredible legacy at our football club and that’s continuing to this day,” Cameron said.
“He’s the epitome of the type of player you want to coach – tough, hard and honest. He should be proud of all he has, and will continue to, achieve as a Giant.
“It’s great to see both Tim and Jesse reach the 100-game milestone, too. They’ve had very different journeys.
“Tim’s come in and made his mark and evolved into a really important and consistent player for us … (and) Jesse’s faced some challenges on and off the field but has still averaged almost two goals a game.”
