Lamb, Nelson to make Eagles debuts
West Coast draftees Tom Lamb and Jackson Nelson will make their AFL debuts against the Western Bulldogs on Saturday after coach Adam Simpson confirmed their selection this morning.
Lamb was drafted at pick 32 in last year’s national draft and his elevation continues a wonderful family tradition.
His grandfather Ian Cooper played in St Kilda’s 1966 premiership team while his dad Wayne played for Melbourne and Fitzroy.
Nelson joined West Coast as pick 51. A member of the AFL Academy, he has impressed in defence during the pre-season.
Coach Adam Simpson was thrilled that they had been picked.
“It’s really exciting for the club,” Simpson said.
“They’re two kids that we drafted in November and they get an opportunity to play in round one. They’ve earned their spot. It’s exciting.
“They’ve presented really well, they’ve trained well and they’ve earned their spot.
“Lamby’s exciting. He’s going to be a very good player. He’s showed some signs at the moment that he can match it an AFL standard. We still don’t know quite what we’re going to get – which is exciting in itself.
“Jackson is a reliable, tough defender that can use the ball well, with a real defence first attitude. We need that in our side.”
Simpson wouldn’t reveal whether Will Schofield or Mitch Brown would play. The defensive pair missed chunks of the NAB Challenge because of injury.
Their availability is vital because of Eric Mackenzie’s season ending knee injury.
Simpson revealed good news about injured forward Jack Darling, saying he had taken significant steps in his recovery from a foot injury.
“He’s had five or six weeks of uninterrupted training so the next step is to train with the ball rather than run around the oval,” he said.
“How quickly he adapts to the rigours of AFL, we will see in the next two or three weeks. Barring any hiccups we think he’ll start training with the main group in the next week or two.”
