AFL finals teams: Carlton makes four changes for elimination final against Sydney, Max King returns for St Kilda
Carlton has regained three key players — and dropped four — as it prepares for its first final in a decade. See every team for the first week of finals here.
Carlton
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Carlton has brutally wielded the axe with young gun Ollie Hollands and perennial whipping boy Paddy Dow dropped for the elimination final.
Blues coach Michael Voss made four changes for the club’s first final in a decade against the Sydney Swans, dumping Hollands, Dow, Zac Fisher and Corey Durdin.
Midfielder Blake Acres has been named on the wing after proving his fitness following a collarbone injury in the Round 24 loss to the GWS Giants.
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Captain Patrick Cripps, veteran Sam Docherty and ruckman Marc Pittonet have all been recalled but young goal sneak Jesse Motlop misses out, named as an emergency.
Hollands, 19, has been a revelation on the wing in his debut season playing 17 games including the past six in the seniors while Dow fought his way back late in the season playing the final seven games.
Sydney also pulled a surprise selection, recalling tall defender Lewis Melican to help counter Carlton’s tall timber.
Melican has only played seven games this year and hasn’t been seen since injuring his hamstring in Round 18.
With the Blues going in with two ruckmen alongside big guns Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay, Swans coach John Longmire has elected to bolster his defensive stocks.
The unlucky player to make way for Melican is Robbie Fox who has played 19 games this season and been a mainstay of the back six for the second half of the year.
Ryan Clarke and Dylan Stephens have also been dropped while Aaron Francis, who was the sub in Round 24, is also out.
Goalsneak Tom Papley returns after hamstring tightness forced him to miss the final game of the home and away season while Justin McInerney has been recalled for his first game since injuring his calf in Round 20.
St Kilda coach Ross Lyon has also made a big call at selection about one of his senior players, leaving out key defender Dougal Howard.
Former Western Bulldogs premiership player Zaine Cordy has got the nod ahead of Howard for Saturday’s elimination final against the GWS Giants.
Cordy has fought his way back after a couple of months in the VFL, returning to play the final five games of the home and away season as Howard’s replacement after he fractured his wrist.
Howard trained strongly this week but Lyon elected to go with the in-form Cordy as the third tall defender alongside All-Australian Callum Wilkie and Josh Battle, who has been cleared to play after exiting concussion protocols.
Veteran midfielder Seb Ross has been recalled after proving he was over a second recent hamstring strain.
The 30-year-old has only played one full game since Round 16 given he strained his hamstring against Melbourne in Round 17. He was then subbed out of the Round 21 win over Geelong due to a low-grade hamstring strain in his second game back.
Full-forward Max King also returns, replacing the injured Jack Hayes while small defender Liam Stocker has been dropped.
There was good news for the Giants who have cleared key defender Sam Taylor to play after he missed the final game of the season with a hamstring strain.
The 2022 All-Australian full-back suffered the injury in the second quarter of the 126-point win over Essendon in Round 23.
Exciting midfielder Finn Callaghan is also back after missing the final month of the home and away season due to lingering achilles soreness.
Ryan Angwin and Toby McMullin have been dropped while veteran Nick Haynes is likely to be the substitute again against the Blues.
Port Adelaide has recalled three key players - defender Trent McKenzie, key forward Todd Marshall and ruckman Scotty Lycett - to face the Brisbane Lions on Saturday night.
Captain Tom Jonas, Sam Hayes and Francis Evans have been dropped while veteran Travis Boak is likely to be named as the sub.
The Lions have only made one change with half-forward Lincoln McCarthy back after missing the Round 24 game with a calf injury. He replaces veteran midfielder Jarryd Lyons with Kai Lohmann again the likely substitute.
WEEK ONE FINALS TEAMS
CARLTON V SYDNEY
Friday September 8, 7:50pm at the MCG
BLUES
B: B.Kemp, J.Weitering, N.Newman
HB: A.Cincotta, M.McGovern, A.Saad
C: B.Acres, P.Cripps (c), S.Docherty
HF: J.Martin, H.McKay, D.Cunningham
F: L.Fogarty, C.Curnow, M.Owies
FOLL: M.Pittonet, A.Cerra, S.Walsh
I/C: C.Marchbank, G.Hewett, M.Cotrell, T.De Koning
EMG: P.Dow, J.Motlop, O.Hollands, Z.Fisher
In: P.Cripps, S.Docherty, M.Pittonet
Out: Z.Fisher, O.Hollands, P.Dow, C.Durdin (all omitted)
SWANS
B: L.Melican, T.McCartin, D.Rampe
HB: J.Lloyd, N.Blakey, O.Florent
C: E.Gulde, Ch.Warner, C.Mills
HF: T.Papley, H.McLean, S.Wicks
F: I.Heeney, J.Amartey, L.Mcdonald
FOLL: T.Hickey, J.Rowbottom, L.Pakrer (c)
I/C: H.Cunningham, B.Campbell, J.McInerney
EMG: A.Francis, R.Clarke, R.Fox, D.Stephens
In: L.Melican, T.Papley, J. McInerney
Out: R.Fox, D.Stephens R.Clarke (all omitted)
ST KILDA V GWS GIANTS
Saturday September 9, 3:20pm at the MCG
SAINTS
B: J.Battle, C.Wilkie, Z.Cordy
HB: J.Webster, J.Sinclair, N.Wangeen-Milera
C: B.Hill, S.Ross, M.Wood
HF: J.Gresham, D.Butler, C.Sharman
F: M.Owens, T.Membrey, M.King
FOLL: R.Marshall, J.Steele (c), B.Crouch
I/C: H.Clark, W.Windhager, J.Higgins, M.Philllipou
EMG: R.Byrnes, L.Stocker, D.Howard, T.Campbell
In: S.Ross, M.King
Out: J.Hayes (injured), L.Stocker (omitted), R.Byrnes (sub)
GIANTS
B: J.Buckley, S.Taylor, C.Idun
HB: L.Ash, H.Himmelberg, LWhitfield
C: F.Callaghan, T.Green, J.Kelly
HF: T.Bedford, J.Riccardi, B.Daniels
F: D.Lloyd, J.Hogan, T.Greene (c)
FOLL: K.Briggs, C.Ward, S.Coniglio
I/C: I.Cumming, H.Perrryman, L.Keefe, C.Brown
EMG: N.Haynes, R.Angwin, X.O’Halloran, B.Preuss
In: S.Taylor, F.Callaghan
Out: R.Angwin, T.McMullin (both omitted), N.Haynes (sub)
BRISBANE LIONS V PORT ADELAIDE
Saturday September 9, 7:25pm at the Gabba
LIONS
B: B.Starcevich, H.Andrews (c), J.Payne
HB: M.McKenna, R.Lester, K.Coleman
C: H.McCluggage, J.Dunkley, D.Zorko
HF: C.Cameron, E.Hipwood, C.Ah Chee
F: C.Rayner, J.Daniher, Z.Bailey
FOLL: O.McInerney, L.Neale, J.Berry
I/C: D.Robertsob, L.McCarthy, J.Fletcher, D.Wilmot
EMG: K.Lohmann, J.Lyons, D.Gardiner, D.Fort
In: L.McCarthy
Out: J.Lyons (omitted), K.Lohmann (sub)
POWER
B: L.Jones, A.Aliir, D.Houston
HB: M.Bergman, T.McKenzie, R.Burton
C: Z.Butters, W.Drew, X.Duursma
HF: W.Rioli, T.Marshall, J.McEntee
F: D.Byrne-Jones, J.Finlayson, S.Powell-Pepper
FOLL: S.Lycett, O.Wines, C.Rozee
I/C: D.Williams, O.Lord, J.Hortne-Francis, K.Farrell
EMG: T.Boak, H.Jackson, F.Evans, S.Hayes
In: T.McKenzie, T.Marshall, S.Lycett
Out: S.Hayes, F.Evans, T.Boak (all omitted) T.Jonas (injured)
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