PREMIERSHIP midfielder Nick Peters will mark his return to the North Ballarat Roosters line-up at Victoria Park tomorrow.
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Peters, who spent last year away on work in Kalgoorlie, was keenly sought by the Selkirk Roosters to come back to Eureka Stadium this season.
His experience will be invaluable for the Roosters, who open their Victorian Football League campaign against Collingwood tomorrow with a new-look team.
Peters and Couch, making his comeback from a knee reconstruction, add bite on the ball where departed, decorated duo Steve Clifton and Myles Sewell used to toil.
Young midfielder James Tsitas, last year’s Geelong Falcons TAC Cup captain, and fellow Roosters recruits Andrew Boseley, a former Hawthorn rookie, and Jordan Staley, a former St Kilda rookie, will each make their club debut.
Tsitas was last night named under the VFL 23rd man rule as a first-year player to be the fifth man on the Roosters’ interchange.
Key tall Gus Grigg, like Peters, makes his return to the club after a year’s hiatus and has been named at full forward.
North Melbourne recruits Trent Dumont (influential for South Australia in last season’s AFL under-18 national championships), Joel Tippett (Brisbane 2007-09, Gold Coast 2011) and Robin Nahas (Richmond) also play their first VFL matches for the Roosters.
Each has featured in the Roosters’ practice match series.
The VFL season launches with three matches tomorrow in a split round, one is a round 15 game brought forward, with the bulk of the competition to start their campaigns next weekend.
North Ballarat will play its second round fixture against Essendon at Windy Hill before making a homecoming to Eureka Stadium to host Sandringham in round three on April 19.
The VFL competition has expanded to include AFL clubs Richmond and Western Bulldogs joining Geelong, Essendon and Collingwood in fielding their own VFL teams.
The formerly Richmond-aligned Coburg and Bulldogs-aligned Williams-
town have reverted to stand-alone clubs.
melanie.whelan@fairfaxmedia.com.au