While Camporeale and Heffernan will add some experience to the side, it will be a fairly young Essendon outfit that plays the Round 1 NAB Cup match.
""It's part of developing a team, we are re-establishing a footy team at this club and trying to get somewhere to follow on from what we have done over the past 18 months,"" Kevin Sheedy said this afternoon.
""We are trying to work out how good a side we are going to be and that's what the NAB Cup is about.
""It is going to be difficult to win on Friday night, we are playing in Queensland, we have been on the road for a week, but it is an exciting match for us.""
The Essendon squad is: Mark Bolton, Kepler Bradley, Scott Camporeale, Tristan Cartledge, Richard Cole, Courtenay Dempsey, Ricky Dyson, Dustin Fletcher, Chris Heffernan, David Hille, Mark Johnson, Ben Jolley, Andrew Lee, Matthew Lloyd, Andrew Lovett, Nathan Lovett-Murray, Scott Lucas, Mark McVeigh, Angus Monfries, Damien Peverill, Joel Reynolds, Dean Rioli, Patrick Ryder, Henry Slattery, Brent Stanton, Jobe Watson, Andrew Welsh, Jason Winderlich.
Key players missing from the team are James Hird, Jason Johnson, Dean Solomon, Jason Laycock and Adam McPhee. Brisbane will also have some key players missing, namely Nigel Lappin, Jonathon Brown, Chris Scott, Brad Scott and Justin Leppitsch. The winner of Friday night’s game will play the winner of the Melbourne – Western Bulldogs game being played in Darwin.
Brisbane Lions squad: Mitchell Clark, Chris Johnson, Michael Voss, Luke Power, Jed Adcock, Ash McGrath, Justin Sherman, Mal Michael, Jared Brennan, Simon Black, Daniel Merrett, Joel Patfull, Wayde Mills, Joel Macdonald, Clark Keating, Troy Selwood, Robert Copeland, Cameron Wood, Cheynee Stiller (rookie), Rhan Hooper, Jayden Attard, Michael Rischitelli, Daniel Bradshaw, Pat Garner, Will Hamill (rookie), Marty Pask (rookie), Marcus Allan, Scott Harding (rookie).
