We expect them to be around the money again this year so it will be a great test for us when we face them at Arena Joondalup on Saturday.
Fortunately, we’re coming off a 14.15 (99) to 12.5 (78) win against East Perth.
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We were quite nervous heading into the match at Arena Joondalup on Sunday, given it was our first game of the season and we did not know what to expect.
The Royals had been disappointing the week before so we knew they would be out to make amends.
Our ball handling and skill level was excellent from the get-go.
While it was only a 21-point win in the end, it felt like we should have won by a little bit more.
It was great to get off to a winning start after our poor entry to the season last year. We’ll only have one forced change this week with the suspension of Aaron Black. I don’t expect any other changes to the side that defeated the Royals.
Our reserves played terrifically last week so we’ve got a number of options.
Players like Conal and Aidan Lynch, Chris Keunen, Brayden Antonio and Mitch van Berlo could be selections for us.
Ben King returns from injury this week so he is another one.
Unfortunately, we’ve learnt defender Joe Morrow has torn a lateral ligament, which will require surgery and up to 10 weeks recovery.
Veteran Matt Guadagnin is tracking a little slower than we had hoped in his return from a hamstring injury.
He won’t play any football this weekend.