Depth key as Leopold faces Eagles test

LEOPOLD coach Luke Kelly has praised his experienced players and the depth of the Lions’ squad after a tricky run with injuries.

The GFNL senior footy reigning premier has bounced back with two big wins after losing its season opener to St Joseph’s.

“Joeys gave us a good indicator of the level of intensity and pressure and requirements to play at the top level, they were very much ready to go,” Kelly said.

Leopold take on the formidable Newtown and Chilwell at 2.10pm tomorrow (Saturday, May 10) in Round 4 at Elderslie Reserve.

The fourth versus sixth battle shapes as the match of the round, and Kelly anticipates it will be a clash that helps his group assess where they are at.

“We’re very aware Newtown are very good on turnover, they look to play fast, exciting football which I know (coach) Stevie (Johnson) loves; so we’ve got to be wary of how we defend,” he said.

The Lions lost Logan Wagener (concussion) and Tom Feely (medial collateral ligament) against Joeys before defender Luke Justin injured his adductor against Colac a fortnight ago.

Kelly said Wagener would likely return in round 5 while Feely was about one month away.

Justin is set for an eight- to 12-week stint on the sidelines while key forward Henry Hawker is still four to six weeks off with a shoulder injury.

“We’ve got a good depth to our squad, we’ve debuted four guys in our first three rounds coming off back-to-back flags,” Kelly said.

The coach lauded experienced heads such as defender Trent Thompson, skipper Marcus Thompson, Sam Scott, key forward Connor Giddings and half-back Mitch Burgess.

“Tate Porter has definitely stepped up inside (the midfield), he’s been outstanding the last couple of weeks,” he added.