Sunday will be a family affair for the Coleman family, with brothers Keidean and Blake to be reunited on the field for the first time since Round 3.
New Dad Keidean Coleman returns to play after taking leave for the birth of his daughter, Haisley.
The pair haven’t played together since the Lions’ Round 3 loss to Coburg, and will no doubt be searching for a win in what will be their fourth appearance together this season.
VFL Head Coach Mitch Hahn hopes that Coleman’s return will give the side an added boost of pressure and leadership.
“It’s great to have Kitty come back in, and we’re hoping that he’ll bring a bit of leadership and urgency in our defence.”
“He’s got some great senior experience and we’re hoping that we’ll see some of that pressure and leadership that he displays on Sunday.”
Jaxon Prior returns to the VFL side after making way for Jarrod Berry in Fagan’s 22, after overcoming a calf complaint.
Head Coach, Chris Fagan said that Prior was unlucky to miss but has plenty of upside.
“Jaxon is a young player, just starting out his career. Unfortunately, as it is for a lot of young players, consistency can be an issue, so he’ll go back to VFL and find more consistent form,” Fagan said.
Tom Berry and Cam Ellis-Yolmen will also be looking to put up another strong performance this weekend, after they named among the side’s best in last weekend’s scratch match.
With the Lions facing the Giants for the first time this season after their Round 7 match-up was scrapped due to COVID-19 restrictions, Hahn said the team is looking forward to the challenge.
“We’re just excited to have another game and to start to get some consistency,” Hahn said.
“This is our third week in a row where we’ve been able to get a game, and this weekend we’ll have one of our strongest contingencies we’ve had all year.”
“It’s great that we’ve been able to get a few players back like Cam Ellis-Yolmen, and these guys should start to get better as we go along.”