A handful of fresh faces will represent the Gold Coast SUNS for the first time in the club's opening NAB Challenge series game against Geelong in Townsville on Sunday.

Off-season recruits Nick Malceski and Mitch Hallahan have been named in the squad to make the trip north, whilst two of the SUNS three draftees from last November, Jarrod Garlett and Touk Miller, have also been included in the 29-man squad.

Mature-aged rookies, Adam Saad and Keegan Brooksby, have been rewarded for their impressive pre-seasons on the track with a spot in Rodney Eade’s squad.

With a host of stars missing from the SUNS opening NAB Challenge fixture, elder statesmen, Jarrod Harbrow and Michael Rischitelli, along with former Swan Malceski, provide experience. Last season’s club champion and vice-captain, David Swallow, has also been named in the squad.

The squad will be trimmed to 26 players for Sunday’s fixture at Tony Ireland Stadium. But, unlike home and away matches, teams will be afforded the luxury of unlimited interchange rotations during the opening two games of the pre-season competition.

Four field umpires are also being trialled during the opening three weeks of the series, although the final round will be played under home and away conditions.

The football universe will get their first glimpse at two of the latest rule interpretations for the upcoming season this weekend. A stricter holding the ball rule will be applied from Thursday’s opening NAB Challenge match, as well as a more stringent adjudication against blocking in marking contests.

Gold Coast SUNS Squad
NAB Rd 1 V Geelong
Sunday 1st March
Tony Ireland Stadium

2. Zac Smith.
5. Jarrod Harbrow
6. Alex Sexton
7. Nick Malceski
11. Harley Bennell
13. Andrew Boston
14. Mitch Hallahan
15. Daniel Gorrigne.
18. Trent McKenzie
19. Tom Lynch
20. Henry Schade
21. Jack Leslie
24. David Swallow
25. Danny Stanley
26. Matthew Shaw
28. Kade Kolodjashnij
31. Keegan Brooksby
32. Brandon Matera
35. Michael Rischitelli
36. Greg Broughton
37. Jesse Lonergan
39. Louis Herbert
40. Sean Lemmens
41. Jarrod Garlett
42. Adam Saad
43. Jarred Ellis
44. Touk Miller
46. Josh Hall
48. Seb Tape