Resting players will be a necessary evil for Greater Western Sydney this season, but coach Kevin Sheedy is confident star recruit Israel Folau won’t need a break anytime soon.
With such an incredibly youthful side, Sheedy will be forced to rotate his raw charges in and out of the team throughout the season.
The challenge facing GWS’s match committee is perhaps even greater than what Gold Coast had to deal with last year.
Not only must the Giants juggle their fresh-faced talent, but veterans Dean Brogan, Chad Cornes, Luke Power and James McDonald also need to be carefully managed.
“It’s always been a bit awkward and we want to get through (most of the squad),” Sheedy said on Monday.
“I’d like to nearly play at least 35 possible players this year – at least.
“Blood them, get them in and give them X number of games so that they feel they actually deserve to be out there and won’t be pushed around.
“Sooner or later, we will rest Brogan, Chad Cornes and those sort of boys. They’re not going to play all the games.
“We want them to add value to the team but also we want to keep blooding all these younger players.”
Sheedy said he’d make up to five changes to the side that recorded a competitive 46-point loss to Adelaide – by far, the Giants’ best performance this season.
Jeremy Cameron and Toby Greene are set to return after being rested against the Crows, but it won’t be at the expense of Folau.
“I wouldn’t have thought that he (Folau) would hit the Richter scale of being tired at the moment because he’s been on and off the ground,” Sheedy said ahead of his side’s clash with Western Bulldogs in Canberra on Saturday.
Folau kicked his first AFL goal on the weekend and Sheedy said the influence of recently-employed mentor Dermott Brereton was already telling.
“I’m pretty sure Izzy found a lot of confidence in talking to him about different aspects of being a key forward.
“He probably took the best mark of the match (against the Crows), no slippery-sliding out of the hands, it was just bang! Just like it was in an elephant trap.
“Dermott made the comment ‘you’ve got more speed than you’re showing’ and he does.”
This week will mark the first time Sheedy is involved with an AFL club but not part of the Anzac Day blockbuster at the MCG.
Instead of taking charge of Essendon, he will be hoping to sign up Melbourne-based GWS members at a corporate brunch.
The four-time premiership coach will then watch the Bombers as he begins preparations for a round-nine clash with the team he coached for 27 years.
Sheedy, who has previously called on the AFL to have Anzac Day games in every state, said it was up to the AFL whether GWS could be a part of the day.
“It’s something worth thinking about. Don’t say no to it – but obviously the emphasis is in Melbourne.”
GWS will have a serviceman speak to their young side the day before the Bulldogs clash.