Fremantle midfielder Nathan O’Driscoll will play his first game at AFL level since his brave mental health revelation on Sunday against Essendon.

O’Driscoll is one of three changes to the Dockers’ side, with first-year forward Chris Scerri and defender Oscar McDonald also named.

The 23-year-old opened up about his mental health battles in an Instagram post last month, revealing he had considered suicide. He was dropped from the senior time after playing the first two game, but has impressed for Peel Thunder in recent weeks.

He replaces midfield gun Hayden Young, who will miss the next two matches with concussion, while Alex Pearce and Corey Wagner are also out injured.

The Dockers, who have adopted the name Walyalup for Sir Doug Nicholls round, could equal their club record with a ninth consecutive win against the Bombers at the MCG.

In defence, the Dockers have gone for the tried and true McDonald, who will also be playing his first game since round two, to cover for Pearce as they aim for a club record equalling ninth straight win.

McDonald was in a two-horse race with young defender Hugh Davies, who has played just two games since being drafted in 2022 but has been the leading defender at Peel this season.

However, his performances weren’t enough to knock McDonald off as the No.1 back-up who covered for Brennan Cox’s injury earlier this season.

Instead, Davies will be one of two travelling emergencies, along with Jeremy Sharp, with Bailey Banfield not part of the squad flying to Melbourne.

SSP signing Chris Scerri will return in place of injured Corey Wagner and will look to keep his perfect streak alive, having not lost any of his first four AFL games.

The 19-year-old made a stunning debut with 20 touches on debut in the win over Melbourne, but struggled to find a consistent impact in his following outings.

Essendon’s hopes of causing an almighty upset have been boosted with midfielder Jye Caldwell back after missing last week due to injury, while Will Setterfield also returns with Dyson Sharp and Zak Johnson both injured.