Who Is Zac Clarke?

With Dean Cox out injured this weekend, many DT coaches are looking around for a cheap backup ruckman to avoid a donut. And one name many DT coaches are looking at is Fremantle's $86k ruck Zac Clarke who is set to make his AFL debut this Saturday against Collingwood at the MCG.

But before we all hastily sign up the young fella, I thought I'd try and address the question of 'who is Zac Clarke?'

Well for starters, Clarke is a 19-year-old who was selected at pick 37 overall in 2008's AFL Draft by the Dockers from Victorian club Oakleigh Chargers. And at 203 centimetres tall, it may be no surprise to some that the youngster gave up a promising career in basketball in favour of footy.

Freo coach Mark Harvey had this to say about the youngster today, "It’s great story because he’s a former top junior basketballer who was late coming to football and now he’s going to make his AFL debut on the MCG.”

“Zac’s adapted quickly to the game and has that athletic agility that you look for in a footballer. He’s got a great temperament and has one of those attitudes that you know he is going to bring some excitement to the team.

“While he is going to need a lot of fine tuning, the experience of playing his first game on the MCG will be sensational for him.”

And the youngster, who played with Vic Metro in the under-18 championships, told the media a little bit about himself after getting a surprise call-up for this round.

“We were sitting in the team meeting and I saw my name on the board. I was pretty nervous at first but now I’m just excited about travelling with the boys and playing on the MCG.

"I just want to get out there be competitive and enjoy the experience.”

Clarke added, “Last year I decided to pursue football, so I nominated for the AFL draft to see how far I could go.”

“With basketball there is a very minute chance that you can make it at the highest level and you have to go to America and go to a college for four years. I really enjoy playing footy and the opportunity was there and available.”

Whether or not that helps you make a decision as to trade him into your DT team or not is up to you, but he sounds like a talented young fella.

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DT Round 13 Teams

Plenty of big changes this weekend, with Dean Cox's absence the major concern as over 100,000 DT coaches own the ruckman. Other major outs include Scott Pendlebury, Jack Ziebell, Adam McPhee, Steven Salopek, Kyle Cheney and Steele Sidebottom while there's still no sign of Josh Drummond and Lindsay Gilbee is a doubt for the Bulldogs. But big ins include popular DT youngsters Dayne Beams, Hayden Ballentyne and Liam Anthony.

Essendon v Carlton, Friday night, MCG

Essendon
Ins: Henry Slattery, Nathan Lovett-Murray
Outs: Mark McVeigh (susp), Adam McPhee (calf)
$288k def/forward McPhee's calf injury is a blow for almost 20,000 DT coaches. Still no David Zaharakis in the 22 for the Bombers, but popular young $134k defender Michael Hurley is named on the emergencies after injury.

B: Henry Slattery, Tayte Pears, Dustin Fletcher
HB: Courtenay Dempsey, Cale Hooker, Heath Hocking
C: Kyle Reimers, Ricky Dyson, Brent Prismall
HF: Angus Monfries, Scott Lucas, Jason Winderlich
F: Andrew Welsh, Matthew Lloyd, Alwyn Davey
Foll: Patrick Ryder, Jobe Watson, Brent Stanton
I/C: Sam Lonergan, Nathan Lovett-Murray, Andrew Lovett, Hayden Skipworth
Emg: Bachar Houli, Michael Hurley, David Zaharakis

Carlton
Ins: Bret Thornton
Outs: Jeff Garlett (omitted)
$322k defender Thornton slots back into the side with $171k forward Garlett missing out. Garlett is plenty of DT sides' back-up forward so that's not great news.

B: Paul Bower, Michael Jamison, Aaron Joseph
HB: Dennis Armfield, Bret Thornton, Steven Browne
C: Kade Simpson, Chris Judd, Heath Scotland
HF: Ryan Houlihan, Jordan Bannister, Nick Stevens
F: Eddie Betts, Brendan Fevola, Setanta O’hAilpin
Foll: Matthew Kreuzer, Marc Murphy, Bryce Gibbs
I/C: Mark Austin, Andrew Carrazzo, Shaun Grigg, Shaun Hampson
Emg: Brad Fisher, Jeff Garlett, Jordan Russell

Collingwood v Fremantle, Saturday, MCG

Collingwood
Ins: Nathan Brown, Tyson Goldsack, Dayne Beams, Chris Dawes
Outs: Scott Pendlebury (knee), Martin Clarke, Steele Sidebottom, Cameron Wood (omitted)
Still no Paul Medhurst but $180k midfielder Beams is back much to the delight of over 35,000 DT coaches. Pendlebury's injury is obviously a worry but Sidebottom copping the axe will concern over 70,000 DT coaches although he is an emergency.

B: Harry O’Brien, Simon Prestigiacomo, Shannon Cox
HB: Nick Maxwell, Leigh Brown, Tyson Goldsack
C: Brad Dick, Tarkyn Lockyer, Dale Thomas
HF: Dayne Beams, Travis Cloke, Leon Davis
F: Alan Didak, John Anthony, Heath Shaw
Foll: Josh Fraser, Dane Swan, Shane O’Bree
I/C: Nathan Brown, Sharrod Wellingham, Chris Dawes, Alan Toovey
Emg: Steele Sidebottom, Paul Medhurst, Cameron Wood

Fremantle
Ins: Hayden Ballantyne, Zachary Clarke, Brett Peake
Outs: Adam Campbell, Kepler Bradley, Michael Walters (omitted)
More new rookies for the Dockers, with $86k forward Ballantyne the big inclusion. $75k def Clancee Pearce holds his spot for his third game but $86k mid/forward Walters drops out. $86k ruck Clarke is in line for his AFL debut.

B: Greg Broughton, Antoni Grover, Scott Thornton
HB: Steven Dodd, Luke McPharlin, Paul Duffield
C: Nic Suban, Paul Hasleby, Garrick Ibbotson
HF: Stephen Hill, Matthew Pavlich, Andrew Foster
F: Hayden Ballantyne, Chris Tarrant, Dean Solomon
Foll: Aaron Sandilands, Byron Schammer, David Mundy
I/C: Brett Peake, Matt de Boer, Clancee Pearce, Zachary Clarke
Emg: Clayton Hinkley, Des Headland, Kepler Bradley

Adelaide v Sydney, Saturday, AAMI Stadium

Adelaide
Ins: Richard Douglas, Graham Johncock
Outs: Brent Reilly (hamstring), Jared Petrenko (omitted)
No Goodwin is the big news from Adelaide, while popular $140k DT defender Petrenko is out again but named on the emergencies.

B: Graham Johncock, Ben Rutten, Andy Otten
HB: Andrew McLeod, Nathan Bock, Brad Symes
C: Michael Doughty, Robert Shirley, Patrick Dangerfield
HF: Chris Knights, Taylor Walker, David Mackay
F: Jason Porplyzia, Kurt Tippett, Tyson Edwards
Foll: Brad Moran, Scott Thompson, Nathan van Berlo
I/C: Bernie Vince, Ivan Maric, Richard Douglas, Scott Stevens
Emg: James Sellar, Jared Petrenko, Tony Armstrong

Sydney Swans
Ins: Ryan Brabazon, Patrick Veszpremi
Outs: Jarrad McVeigh (shoulder), Jarred Moore (omitted)
Another injection of youth by the Swans, with $230k forward Veszpremi an exciting one after good form in the reserves. Still no Craig Bolton.

B: Paul Bevan, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Martin Mattner
HB: Rhyce Shaw, Ted Richards, Jared Crouch
C: Adam Goodes, Brett Kirk, Craig Bird
HF: Ed Barlow, Ryan O’Keefe, Nick Smith
F: Heath Grundy, Barry Hall, Michael O’Loughlin
Foll: Darren Jolly, Kieren Jack, Jude Bolton
I/C: Ryan Brabazon, Kristin Thornton, Patrick Veszpremi, Jesse White
Emg: Luke Ablett, Matt O’Dwyer, Michael Pyke

West Coast v Hawthorn, Saturday night, Subiaco Oval

West Coast
Ins: Andrew Embley, Sam Butler, Ben McKinley
Outs: Dean Cox (groin), Mark Nicoski (back), Jamie McNamara (omitted)
Cox is out which concerns almost everybody. $343k midfielder Embley returns while Nic Naitanui gets his chance to impress in the ruck with another AFL run.

B: Matt Spangher, Darren Glass, Scott Selwood
HB: David Wirrpanda, Eric Mackenzie, Shannon Hurn
C: Andrew Embley, Matt Priddis, Matt Rosa
HF: Chris Masten, Josh Kennedy, Adam Selwood
F: Quinten Lynch, Mitch Brown, Mark LeCras
Foll: Nic Naitanui, Daniel Kerr, Brad Ebert
I/C: Sam Butler, Ben McKinley, Tyson Stenglein, Tom Swift
Emg: Chad Fletcher, Tim Houlihan, Jamie McNamara

Hawthorn
Ins: Stephen Gilham, Rick Ladson, Brendan Whitecross
Outs: Brent Renouf, Ryan Schoenmakers, Travis Tuck
Young $288k midfielder Whitecross returns, while Schoenmakers' omission is annoying one for over 15,000 DT coaches. No return for Liam Shiels.

B: Brent Guerra, Stephen Gilham, Thomas Murphy
HB: Grant Birchall, Campbell Brown, Rick Ladson
C: Jordan Lewis, Sam Mitchell, Xavier Ellis
HF: Chance Bateman, Lance Franklin, Ben McGlynn
F: Mark Williams, Jarryd Roughead, Michael Osborne
Foll: Robert Campbell, Luke Hodge, Brad Sewell
I/C: Stuart Dew, Beau Muston, Simon Taylor, Brendan Whitecross
Emg: Josh Kennedy, Ryan Schoenmakers, Cameron Stokes

Brisbane Lions v Melbourne, Saturday night, GABBA

Brisbane Lions
Ins: Daniel Merrett, Joel Patfull
Outs: Troy Selwood (shoulder), Tim Notting (omitted)
Still no Josh Drummond which is a huge worry for almost 30,000 DT coaches, although he should be back next week. $183k def Merrett's return is handy for some, while there's also still no Travis Johnstone or Bradd Dalziell.

B: Jason Roe, Daniel Merrett, Jed Adcock
HB: Joel Patfull, Lachlan Henderson, Joel Macdonald
C: Albert Proud, Simon Black, Daniel Rich
HF: Michael Rischitelli, Jonathan Brown, James Polkinghorne
F: Rhan Hooper, Daniel Bradshaw, Luke Power
Foll: Mitch Clark, Cheynee Stiller, Justin Sherman
I/C: Ashley McGrath, Scott Harding, Jared Brennan, Sam Sheldon
Emg: Jack Redden, Matt Austin, Tim Notting

Melbourne
Ins: Matthew Warnock, Ricky Petterd
Outs: Kyle Cheney, Clint Bartram (omitted)
Popular $210k defender Cheney drops out while there's another game for young forwards Jack Watts ($150k) and Liam Jurrah ($126k).

B: Matthew Whelan, Matthew Warnock, Ricky Petterd
HB: Aaron Davey, Jared Rivers, James Frawley
C: Neville Jetta, Brock McLean, Jamie Bennell
HF: Russell Robertson, Brad Miller, Matthew Bate
F: Brad Green, Colin Sylvia, Liam Jurrah
Foll: Paul Johnson, Jack Grimes, Cameron Bruce
I/C: Brent Moloney, Cale Morton, Stefan Martin, Jack Watts
Emg: Nathan Jones, Lynden Dunn, Shane Valenti

Geelong v Port Adelaide, Sunday, Skilled Stadium

Geelong
Ins: Tom Harley, Simon Hogan, Mathew Stokes
Outs: -
Someone will have to drop out for Harley. Young $86k forward Hogan is named again in the 25 and will press for his third game this season.

B: Darren Milburn, Matthew Scarlett, Andrew Mackie
HB: Corey Enright, Tom Harley, James Kelly
C: Gary Ablett, Steve Johnson, Travis Varcoe
HF: Jimmy Bartel, Cameron Mooney, Joel Corey
F: Paul Chapman, Tom Hawkins, Shannon Byrnes
Foll: Mark Blake, Cameron Ling, Joel Selwood
I/C (from): Ryan Gamble, David Johnson, Shane Mumford, Max Rooke, Mathew Stokes, Simon Hogan, Harry Taylor

Port Adelaide
Ins: Matt Broadbent, Alipate Carlile, Jason Davenport, Nathan Krakouer, Nick Lower, Paul Stewart
Outs: Daniel Motlop (ankle), Marlon Motlop, Steven Salopek (omitted)
Cheap $308k midfielder Salopek cops the axe. Krakouer's return is good news for over 28,000 DT coaches. $86k mid Davenport could burst his bubble and play his 3rd game while $75k mid Danny Meyer gets another seniors run.

B: Michael Pettigrew, Toby Thurstans, Jacob Surjan
HB: Nathan Krakouer, Troy Chaplin, Peter Burgoyne
C: Danny Meyer, Domenic Cassisi, Tom Logan
HF: Robert Gray, Warren Tredrea, David Rodan
F: Brett Ebert, Brendon Lade, Justin Westhoff
Foll: Dean Brogan, Kane Cornes, Danyle Pearce
I/C (from): Josh Carr, Jason Davenport, Alipate Carlile, Nick Lower, Matthew Westhoff, Matthew Broadbent, Paul Stewart

North Melbourne v Western Bulldogs, Sunday, MCG

North Melbourne
Ins: Liam Anthony, Todd Goldstein, David Hale, Brent Harvey, Ben Warren
Outs: Jack Ziebell (leg), Aaron Edwards (omitted)
Finally Anthony is named in the 22 much to the delight of over 13,000 DT coaches. Skipper Harvey is a handy inclusion too. Lindsay Thomas is named despite doubts on his fitness, while there's still no Daniel Wells.

B: Nathan Grima, Scott Thompson, Leigh Harding
HB: Daniel Pratt, Michael Firrito, Josh Gibson
C: Brady Rawlings, Brent Harvey, Liam Anthony
HF: Scott McMahon, Drew Petrie, Ben Warren
F: Lindsay Thomas, David Hale, Lachie Hansen
Foll: Hamish McIntosh, Andrew Swallow, Adam Simpson
I/C (from): Daniel Harris, Sam Power, Gavin Urquhart, Ben Ross, Corey Jones, Todd Goldstein, Cruize Garlett

Western Bulldogs
Ins: Tim Callan, Sam Reid, Stephen Tiller
Outs: -
Gilbee is named in the 22 despite an ankle concern. He may drop out. $184k midfielder Reid is named in the 25 for his first AFL run of 2009.

B: Jarrod Harbrow, Brian Lake, Lindsay Gilbee
HB: Robert Murphy, Dale Morris, Ryan Hargrave
C: Josh Hill, Matthew Boyd, Daniel Cross
HF: Shaun Higgins, Mitch Hahn, Brad Johnson
F: Jason Akermanis, Will Minson, Scott Welsh
Foll: Ben Hudson, Ryan Griffen, Adam Cooney
I/C (from): Tim Callan, Nathan Eagleton, Daniel Giansiracusa, Liam Picken, Sam Reid, Stephen Tiller, Callan Ward

St Kilda v Richmond, Sunday, Docklands

St Kilda
Ins: James Gwilt, Raphael Clarke, David Armitage
Outs: -
No major concerns from the Sainters.

B: Jason Blake, Max Hudghton, Zac Dawson
HB: Steven Baker, Sam Fisher, Brendon Goddard
C: Farren Ray, Luke Ball, Nick Dal Santo
HF: Lenny Hayes, Justin Koschitzke, Stephen Milne
F: Jason Gram, Nick Riewoldt, Adam Schneider
Foll: Michael Gardiner, Clint Jones, Leigh Montagna
I/C (from): Jarryn Geary, Sam Gilbert, Ben McEvoy, Andrew McQualter, James Gwilt, David Armitage, Raphael Clarke

Richmond
Ins: Jarrod Silvester, Jake King, Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls
Outs: -
Still no Mark Coughlan, Nathan Brown or Andrew Raines. $75k key defender Silvester is named in the 22 for his AFL debut.

B: Chris Newman, Jarrod Silvester, Will Thursfield
HB: Dean Polo , Luke McGuane, Richard Tambling
C: Andrew Collins, Shane Tuck, Brett Deledio
HF: Trent Cotchin, Jack Riewoldt, Tom Hislop
F: Tyrone Vickery, Mitch Morton, Ben Cousins
Foll: Angus Graham, Daniel Jackson, Nathan Foley
I/C (from): Jake King, Kelvin Moore, Alex Rance, Adam Pattison, Shane Edwards, Robin Nahas, Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls

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Ballentyne Set For Debut

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey has strongly hinted the highly-anticipated debut of $86k rookie forward Hayden Ballentyne will be this weekend against Collingwood.

Ballentyne's debut has been the subject of plenty of talk and speculation, but recent wrist and back injuries have delayed his first AFL game.

But now the youngster is fit and ready to play and Harvey has admitted he's a good chance for a run against the Pies at the MCG on Saturday.

"We've got a number of guys who we're looking at at the training session. Hayden's one of them."

Referring to the risk of rushing Ballantyne back after his recent injuries, Harvey added, "He plays at a really high tempo, so it wouldn't matter whether he played at WAFL level or AFL level, it would be the same risk.

"If you have a look at Collingwood, and possibly sides that have beaten them this year, sometimes a small forward can hurt them."

Many DT coaches have eyed off Ballentyne as a cheap forward to potentially replace injured Kangaroo Jack Ziebell.

Harvey didn't comment on whether other Dockers' youngsters Michael Walters ($86k mid/forward) and Clancee Pearce ($75k def) would play this weekend, but acknowledged Des Headland and Brett Peake were pushing for a game this Saturday.

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