Two players will play their first game of 2007 on Saturday when the Power takes on the Western Bulldogs at the Telstra Dome in Heritage Round.

Full back Alipate Carlile and inside midfielder Adam Thomson have cracked the AFL side and will wear the black-and-white prison bars this weekend after both reaching peak form in the SANFL in recent weeks.

They come into last week’s winning line-up with Danyle Pearce and Darryl Wakelin going out. Pearce had his appendix removed on Monday and Wakelin has been dropped.

Wakelin was also omitted last time the Power played the Bulldogs in Round 19 last year in Darwin. Port Adelaide won and Wakelin came straight back into the side the following week.

Carlile would have to be the Power’s form SANFL player of the year. Power development coach Darren Trevena has rated the second cousin of David Rodan as the best Power player in the SANFL in two of the past three weeks.

Thomson has also scored Trevena’s award through the Power website twice recently, including on the weekend just gone when he picked up 28 disposals and kicked four goals for Sturt.

Carlile has played just one AFL game in his career – last year’s Round 16 loss to St Kilda in Tassie, while Thomson was part of last year’s ‘revolution’ of youngsters, playing 13 games before his season was ended by a groin injury in Round 18.

Meanwhile, Power premiership player Brett Montgomery, who recently retired from the AFL after his second stint at the Western Bulldogs, will do a lap of honour before Saturday afternoon’s game.

The Power’s 22 to face the Western Bulldogs on Saturday from 2.10pm at the Telstra Dome is....

B: Michael Wilson, Toby Thurstans, Jacob Surjan
HB: Peter Burgoyne, Chad Cornes, Michael Pettigrew
C: Nathan Lonie, Kane Cornes, Shaun Burgoyne
HF: Robert Gray, Warren Tredrea, David Rodan
F: Brett Ebert, Daniel Motlop, Brendon Lade
Foll: Dean Brogan, Domenic Cassisi, Adam Thomson
Interchange: Travis Boak, Greg Bentley, Justin Westhoff, Alipate Carlile

Emergencies: Nathan Krakouer, Josh Mahoney, Brad Symes

IN: Carlile, Thomson
OUT: Pearce (appendix), Wakelin (omitted)