AFL finals teams: Heartbreak for Collingwood trio as guns named

Collingwood will be at full strength against Geelong when it welcomes back Steele Sidebottom, Jordan De Goey and Jaidyn Stephenson but that means finals heartbreak for three Magpies.

Jaidyn Stephenson is set to play his first AFL game since being hit with a 10-game betting suspension. Picture: AAP Image/Scott Barbour.

Collingwood has dropped three players to make way for their returning stars ahead of their blockbuster clash with Geelong tomorrow night.

The axe has fallen on Matthew Scharenberg, Travis Varcoe and Jack Madgen as they made way for Steele Sidebottom, Jordan De Goey and Jaidyn Stephenson.

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It will be Stephenson’s first AFL game since Round 12 following his gambling ban, while Darcy Moore has also been named despite fresh hamstring concerns.

Geelong has dumped tall defender Lachie Henderson for the returning Jake Kolodjashnij - who appears set to renew ties with De Goey – while Cam Guthrie was ruled out with a calf injury and replaced by Tom Atkins.

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Richmond has received a welcome boost with premiership ruckman Toby Nankervis returning for the trip to Brisbane. Young tall Noah Balta has been omitted.

The Lions made just one change, bringing in Allen Christenson for youngster Cedric Cox.

The in-form Bulldogs will go in unchanged for their clash at Giants Stadium, meaning son-of-a-gun Rhylee West will play a final in just his third AFL game.

Jordan De Goey is one of three changes for the Magpies. Picture: Michael Klein

The Giants have delivered a massive selection surprise by naming Brett Deledio and axing Adam Tomlinson for their elimination final.

Nick Haynes, who suffered a fractured cricoid in the penultimate game of the regular season after a high shot from Dogs’ star Marcus Bontempelli, has recovered sufficiently to renew acquaintances with Luke ­Beveridge’s side.

Deledio, 32, will retire at the end of the campaign after battling injury problems, but is determined to go out with a bang.

Toby Greene and Jacob Hopper are also back from injury to boost the home side’s hopes.

Tomlinson, out of contract at season’s end and attracting strong interest from St Kilda, had featured in every regular season game but misses out this time after what coach Leon Cameron called a “really tough match committee this week”.

Lachie Keeffe, Isaac Cumming and Bobby Hill also miss the cut for the do-or-die battle.

STARS RETURN FOR BOMBERS

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Essendon defender Michael Hurley has been declared fit to play and the Bombers welcomed back four big names for Thursday night’s elimination final against West Coast.

And the Eagles’ also received a boost with Nic Naitanui set to play just his fourth game of the year, while skipper Shannon Hurn has been named despite nursing a hamstring injury.

Hurley appeared to seriously injure his shoulder in the Round 23 loss to Collingwood but has been cleared to take on the Eagles at Perth Stadium.

Chasing a first finals win since 2004, the Bombers have been bolstered by the return of the captain Dyson Heppell, Cale Hooker, Jake Stringer and Orazio Fantasia.

Dyson Heppell is one of give inclusion for the Bombers. Picture: AAP

They also included mid-season draft selection Will Snelling, 22, who will play just his fifth AFL match more than three years after he made his debut for Port Adelaide.

Defender Marty Gleeson (calf) was ruled out Michael Hartley, Tom Jok, Josh Begley and

Dylan Clarke were dropped.

Naitanui will play limited game time with former St Kilda big man Tom Hickey set to predominantly line up against Bombers ruckman Tom Bellchambers.

The Eagles dumped premiership defender Liam Duggan but recalled Will Schofield and Mark Hutchings.

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WEST COAST v ESSENDON

Thursday 5 September, 8.10pm at Perth Stadium

EAGLES

B: Hurn, Barrass, Schoefield

HB: Sheppard, McGovern, Jetta

C: Sheed, Redden, Gaff

HF: Rioli, Darling, Masten

F: Cripps, Kennedy, Ryan

FOLL: Naitanui, Yeo, Shuey

I/C: Waterman, Hickey, Nelson, Hutchings

EMG: Duggan, Vardy, Cameron, Ah Chee

IN: Schoefield, Naitanui, Hutchings

OUT: Allen (injured), Duggan, Petruccelle

BOMBERS

B: Saad, Hooker, Francis

HB: McKenna, Hurley, Redman

C: McGrath, Merrett, Parish

HF: Stringer, McKernan, Ambrose

F: McDonald-Tipungwuti, Brown, Fantasia

FOLL: Bellchambers, Shiel, Heppell

I/C: Laverde, Langford, Snelling, Ham

EMG: Jok, Clarke, Hartley, Ridley

IN: Hooker, Fantasia, Heppell, Snelling, Stringer

OUT: Hartley, Jok, Begley, Clarke, Gleeson (injured)

GEELONG CATS v COLLINGWOOD

Friday 6 September, 7.50pm at the MCG

CATS

B: Tuohy, Blicavs, Taylor

HB: O’Connor, Henry, Stewart

C: Duncan, Dangerfield, Parfitt

HF: Ablett, Ratugolea, Rohan

F: Dahlhaus, Hawkins, Bews

FOLL: Stanley, Kelly, Selwood

I/C: Kolodjashnij, Atkins, Miers, Narkle

EMG: Selwood, Menegola, Parsons, Henderson

IN: Kolodjashnij, Atkins

OUT: Henderson, Guthrie (injured)

MAGPIES

B: Greenwood, Roughead, Howe

HB: Crisp, Moore, Maynard

C: Phillips, Pendlebury, Mayne

HF: Sidebottom, Mihocek, Hoskin-Elliott

F: Elliott, De Goey, Stephenson

FOLL: Grundy, Treloar, Adams

I/C: J.Noble, Brown, Thomas, Wills

EMG: M.Scharenberg, Varcoe, Madgen, Daicos

IN: Sidebottom. De Goey, Stephenson

OUT: Scharenberg, Varcoe, Madgen

GWS GIANTS v WESTERN BULLDOGS

Saturday 7 September, 3.20pm at Giants Stadium

GIANTS

B: Shaw, Davis, Reid

HB: Corr, Haynes, Whitfield

C: Williams, Taranto, Kennedy

HF: Finlayson, Himmelberg, Daniels

F: Greene, Cameron, Deledio

FOLL: Mumford, Perryman, Lloyd

I/C: Taylor, Hopper, Kelly, De Boer

EMG: Cumming, Tomlinson, Keeffe, Hill

IN: Haynes, Greene, Deledio, Hopper

OUT: Cumming, Keeffe, Tomlinson, Hill (Omitted)

BULLDOGS

B: Duryea, Young, Crozier

HB: Johannisen, Z.Cordy, Wood

C: Hunter, Bontempelli, Richards

HF: Dale, Schache, Lloyd

F: Smith, Naughton, McLean

FOLL: English, Dunkley, Macrae

I/C: Suckling, West, Lipinski, Hayes

EMG: Trengove, Dickson, Williams, Smith

No changes

BRISBANE LIONS v RICHMOND

Saturday 7 September, 7.25pm at the Gabba

LIONS

B: Hodge, Andrews, Adams

HB: Witherden, Gardiner, Rich

C: Zorko, J.Berry, Robinson

HF: Cameron, Hipwood, McCluggage

F: McInerney, McStay, Rayner

FOLL: Martin, Neale, Lyons

I/C: Christensen, McCarthy, Bailey, Answerth

EMG: Keays, Walker, Taylor, Lester

IN: Christensen

OUT: Cox

TIGERS

B: Astbury, Broad, Grimes

HB: Houli, Vlastuin, J.Short

C: Ellis, Prestia, Caddy

HF: Rioli, Cotchin, Lambert

F: Bolton, Lynch, Riewoldt

FOLL: Nankervis, Edwards, Martin

I/C: Soldo, Baker, Graham, Castagna

EMG: Ross, Pickett, Chol, Butler

IN: Nankervis

OUT: Balta

Originally published as AFL finals teams: Heartbreak for Collingwood trio as guns named