New Bombers Jacob Townsend and Tom Cutler will make their Essendon home and away debuts against Fremantle at Marvel Stadium on Saturday. 

The experienced recruits join an exciting line-up set to take on the Dockers in the side’s first clash of the season, with star forward Jake Stringer returning to the team after missing out on both Marsh Community Series hit-outs.

Veteran ruck Tom Bellchambers will lead the side in the centre after making a full recovery from recent knee surgery that kept him out of the pre-season competition, while Brandon Zerk-Thatcher’s impressive efforts in recent weeks have seen him named for just his second senior game.

FINAL TEAM
FB – Aaron Francis, Michael Hurley, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher
HB – Adam Saad, Jordan Ridley, Mason Redman
C – Kyle Langford, Andrew McGrath, David Zaharakis
HF – Orazio Fantasia, Jayden Laverde, Devon Smith
FF – Jake Stringer, Jacob Townsend, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti
FOL – Tom Bellchambers, Zach Merrett, Dylan Shiel
Interchange – Darcy Parish, Will Snelling, Matt Guelfi, Tom Cutler
Emergencies – Martin Gleeson, Brayden Ham, Andrew Phillips, Conor McKenna