Reigning Player of the Year Clint Bolton has been named in the extended squad for the Melbourne Derby at Etihad Stadium this Sunday.
Reigning Player of the Year Clint Bolton has been named in the extended squad for the Melbourne Derby at Etihad Stadium this Sunday.
After injury forced the ‘keeper to the sidelines ahead of round one, Bolton has made a rapid recovery and remains in contention to comeback against the Victory.
Bolton-s selection sees youngster Sebastian Mattei return to National Youth League duties, with the opening match of the season taking place on Sunday at John Cain Memorial Park in Northcote.
Rutger Worm is another who has catapulted back into selection contention, after the Dutch winger took significant strides in his return from a groin strain.
Having played a key role in the Club-s debut season, Worm-s potential return is a boost for the Red and White, providing Head Coach John van ‘t Schip with a potential selection headache given Heart-s talent packed front third.
Mate Dugandzic and David Williams have been among the standouts during the opening fortnight of the campaign, justifying their hype with a pair of scintillating displays.
And on the Hyundai A-League-s biggest stage, the time is right for the pair to establish themselves firmly as leading performers in the competition.
Meanwhile, Jason Hoffman has overcome a bout of food poisoning to resume his place in the squad, allowing him to reignite a campaign which promises much for the Novacastrian.
Hoffman-s untimely withdrawal last week highlighted his importance to van ‘t Schip-s system, with the 22-year-old-s pace and runs from deep causing headaches for the opposition.
Squad Vs Victory
1.Clint Bolton, 2.Michael Marrone, 3.Brendan Hamill, 4.Simon Colosimo, 6.Matt Thompson, 7.Rutger Worm, 8.Kristian Sarkies, 9.Maycon, 10.Wayne Srhoj, 11.Alex Terra, 13.Jonatan Germano, 15.David Williams, 16.Aziz Behich, 17.Jason Hoffman, 18.Curtis Good, 22.Nick Kalmar, 23.Mate Dugandzic
Unavailable: 5.Fred – Hamstring (2-4 weeks), 14.Kamal Ibrahim – Ankle (6 weeks), 19.Eli Babalj – Knee (1 week), 20.Adrian Zahra – Knee (Indefinite), 21.Kliment Taseski – Foot (2 months)
