Daniel, who has played 26 games with Tongala in the last two seasons, is expected to play in the Blues’ reserves on Saturday before rejoining the club’s senior ranks.
The former Queensland state representative hasn’t been able to train, but is planning to be back for either the round two Good Friday match against Nathalia or round three against Moama.
Moama knocked the Blues out of the premiership race last season during the finals series. Missing from that team in round one will be the Blues Northern Territory stars of the past few season’s Cameron Illet and Darren Ewing.
Last season’s league best-and-fairest Nick Jamieson has also moved clubs, while former captains and key defenders Corey Nexhip and Adam Lovison have also severed ties with the Blues.
Merrigum recruit and smooth moving on-baller Jack Sinclair will play, having impressed officials during the pre-season.
Mitchell Fitzgerald, among a handful of Kyabram recruits, will start forward ,and Mitchell Gugliotti will be one of the key ground level players roving to new captain Kyle Fitzgerald.
He has not played a match in the pre-season due to cricket commitments.
Blake McAuliffe will be another of the Kyabram players considered for selection, but teenager Oliver Watt has only played one practice match and had surgery on his jaw.
Brock McLean and Andrew Hummerston will lead the Blues’ defence, with another Merrigum recruit Tom Cooper also playing a role down back.
Mackenzie Ryan and Sam Cipriani will be the Blues key forwards. Cipriani has just returned from the Northern Territory where he kicked 22 goals from 19 matches.
He kicked 22 goals for the Blues last year, while Ryan kicked 38 goals from his 18 goals.
Echuca United will have coach Farran Priest back in its ranks after knee surgery kept him on the sidelines in 2022.
The Eagles finished last year on a high by registering two of their three wins for the season in the last two home-and-away games.
In their two games against the Blues last year they lost by 149 and 63 points. The weekend’s match at Tongala is expected to be much closer.
Blues teenagers Levi Taylor and Tristan Watson are expected to be in the starting line-up after several games last season as the senior team’s substitute.
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