Former North Ballarat Roosters and Sebastopol ruckman Rowan Marshall makes his first pre-seaspn appearance for St Kilda in a clash with the Western Bulldogs in Ballarat on Sunday.
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Marshall is replacing concussed Lewis Pierce is close to a full-strength line-up.
St Kilda has shown faith with the players who had a win over North Melbourne in their opening JLT Series game by making just two changes.
This results in a homecoming for four St Kilda players, with Nick Hind (Clunes/East Point/North Ballarat Roosters), Seb Ross (North Ballarat Rebels) and Nathan Brown (Rebels/Ballarat) also stepping out onto Mars Stadium.
The Bulldogs, which are coming off a five-point loss to Gold Coast Suns in Queensland, are making the the first of three matches in Ballarat this year.
They will play Brisbane Lions in round eight on Saturday, May 11, and Adelaide Crows in round 23 on August 24 or 25.
Like St Kilda, the Bulldogs are unlikely to make many changhes, with newcomers Bailey Smith, Will Hayes, Sam Lloyd and Taylor Duryea all expected to play again.
With each having performed well below expectations last season, the Bulldogs and Saints are throwing everything into their pre-seasons - determined to make strong starts to the home and away season.
Sunday's twilight match begins at 4.10pm.
Footscray will meet the St Kilda-aligned Sandringham in a VFL curtain-raiser at 12.30pm.
LINE-UPS
WESTERN BULLDOGS
B: Easton Wood, Aaron Naughton, Dale Morris
HB: Hayden Crozier, Zaine Cordy, Caleb Daniel
C: Lachie Hunter, Jack Macrae, Ed Richards
HF: Billy Gowers, Josh Schache, Sam Lloyd
F: Toby McLean, Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Liberatore
R: Jackson Trengove, Josh Dunkley, Mitch Wallis
Inter from: Matthew Suckling, Bailey Smith, Rhylee West, Taylor Duryea, Ben Cavarra, Patrick Lipinski, Tory Dickson, Fergus Greene, Will Hayes, Bailey Williams, Lachlan Young, Tim English
ST KILDA
B: Jarryn Geary, Darragh Joyce, Shane Savage
HB: Josh Battle, Dylan Roberton, Jimmy Webster
C: Jack Billings, Jack Newnes, Jack Sinclair
HF: Jade Gresham, Josh Bruce, Dean Kent
F: Tim Membrey, Paddy McCartin, Matthew Parker
R: Rowan Marshall, Sebastian Ross, Jack Steele
Inter: Luke Dunstan, Hunter Clark, Jack Lonie, Ben Long, Nathan Brown, Ed Phillips, Nick Hind, Callum Wilkie
Emerg: Nick Coffield, Ben Paton, David Armitage, Lewis Pierce
TICKETING
Tickets are available via Ticketmaster
Adults: $30 reserved seating or $20 general admission
Concession: $25 reserved seating or $15 general admission
Junior: $10 reserved seating or $5 general admission
AROUND THE GROUND
The Mars Stadium precinct will feature a variety of family activties
- Football inflatables where you can test your football skills
- Mascot appearances
- Photo booth and giveaways
- "Me and My Dad Playgroup" providing a variety of activities for pre-school children
- 2019 Bulldogs merchandise and memberships available for purchase
GETTING TO GAME
To assist fans with parking, the City of Ballarat will provide a free shuttle bus and park and ride service.
Shuttle bus to and from Mars Stadium
A shuttle bus will depart the Ballarat Railway Station Bus Terminal and travel to Mars Stadium from 2.30pm
From 6pm, a return shuttle will depart Mars Stadium and drop passengers off in Sturt Street opposite the Ballarat Town Hall.
PARK AND RIDE SHUFFLE
From 3.30pm, a shuttle bus will depart Drew’s Paddock (Midlands Golf Club) and travel to Mars Stadiumon a 20-minute loop until 4.50pm.
A return shuttle will be provided from Mars Stadium starting from 6pm.
All shuttle bus services are expected to operate until all patrons have left about 8pm.
A number of events will be taking place in the precinct over the long weekend, so football fans are being encouraged to take advantage of the park and ride shuttle service.
Victoria Police have also advised no cars will be permitted to park overnight (Saturday) on Creswick Road to allow for the installation of temporary fencing in the area at 6am on Sunday.
Alternative on-street parking will be available for drivers in Howitt and Norman Streets.
Drivers are also urged to utilise the hundreds of parking spaces available at CE Brown Reserve and surrounding ovals. These parking spaces can be accessed from Dowling Street, and patrons will have access to gates 1 and 2 via a short walk.
