Adelaide will unveil its third debutant of the season in Balfours Showdown XXXII at AAMI Stadium on Sunday, with young midfielder Jarryd Lyons selected to play his first AFL game.
From the Sandringham Dragons, Lyons was drafted with pick No.61 in the 2010 AFL Draft.
The 19-year-old midfielder pulled on the Crows guernsey for the first time in the opening round of the 2012 NAB Cup, and put his name back in front of the selectors with several standout performances for SANFL club Glenelg.
Experienced heads Graham Johncock and Ian Callinan have also been recalled to the team to play Port Adelaide after missing the win over Greater Western Sydney with minor injuries.
Young utilities Rick Henderson and Brodie Martin have been omitted, while 2009 best and fairest winner Bernie Vince will miss with a broken hand.
Coach Brenton Sanderson said he didn’t hesitate in selecting Lyons to debut on the Showdown stage.
“It’s a big game to make your debut in, but Jarryd’s made of the right stuff,” Sanderson told afc.com.au.
“He suits the Showdown style of play, which is usually a hard and competitive game … he likes it like that. He’s a contested marking midfielder - an inside mid - and that’s what type of game it’ll be.”
Lyons follows defender Sam Shaw and first-round draft pick Sam Kerridge in making his debut this year.
“It’s only round five and we’ve already had three guys debut, which is great for the Club,” Sanderson said.
“Jarryd’s form at SANFL level has been good and we’ll continue to reward guys in good form. We liked what he did over the summer. He’s had a bit of a taste at NAB Cup level and now he gets his chance in the real stuff.”
Sanderson said Johncock and Callinan, who will join Lyons and Shaw in playing his first Showdown, warranted instant recalls after a week on the sidelines.
“It’s good to get Graham back. He’ll give us a bit of drive half-back and I know he’s played pretty well in Showdowns,” he said.
“He’s a really good big-game player in these matches and I think he really enjoys these contests.
“We thought Ian Callinan might miss two or three games with that calf injury, but he pulled up alright and trained well this week, so we’ve brought him straight back in.”
The team is:
B: Sam Shaw, Ben Rutten, Graham Johncock
HB: Michael Doughty, Daniel Talia, Brent Reilly
C: David Mackay, Scott Thompson, Brodie Smith
HF: Ian Callinan, Taylor Walker, Matt Wright
F: Patrick Dangerfield, Kurt Tippett, Jason Porplyzia
FOLL: Sam Jacobs, Rory Sloane, Nathan van Berlo
INT: Matt Jaensch, Jarryd Lyons, Shaun McKernan, Jared Petrenko
EMG: Brodie Martin, Andy Otten, Rick Henderson
INS: Graham Johncock, Ian Callinan, Jarryd Lyons
OUTS: Bernie Vince (hand), Rick Henderson, Brodie Martin
