AFL Grand Final 2016 teams: Sydney Swans and Western Bulldogs name their line-ups
UPDATE: JORDAN Roughead says he’s “feeling good and ready to go” after he was given the all-clear to play in tomorrow’s Grand Final. See how the Bulldogs and Swans will line up
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UPDATE: JORDAN Roughead has been given the all-clear to play in tomorrow’s Grand Final.
The Western Bulldogs ruckman received a final medical clearance from his ophthalmologist this morning after suffering a nasty eye injury in last week’s preliminary final win over Greater Western Sydney.
AFL GRAND FINAL LIVE: FOLLOW THE ACTION HERE
The Dogs have stuck with the 22 players who toppled the Giants, with Matthew Suckling’s Grand Final experience overlooked by coach Luke Beveridge as the club bids to end its 62-year premiership drought.
Big defender Fletcher Roberts, 23, won a line-ball decision to hold his place in the most inexperienced Grand Final side since Melbourne in 2000.
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Roughead yesterday joined the team’s main training session and said this morning he was “feeling good and ready to go”.
“It’s been pretty stressful, but I suppose I can start to get a bit excited now,” Roughead said.
“I’m not 100 per cent (on the risks involved), but that’s why I see these guys. They gave me the all-clear and away we go.”
Suckling, 28, is the Dogs’ only premiership player, having played in three Grand Finals for two flags at Hawthorn.
He was named as an emergency, meaning the Dogs will be the first side since North Melbourne in 1996 to start football’s biggest day without a premiership player.
Suckling passed a fitness test on his troublesome achilles on Tuesday and is regarded as one of the AFL’s most damaging ball-users He has played 17 games this season.
In a selection surprise, he was overlooked in favour of the 196cm Roberts.
Roberts will aid the defence as it prepares to combat superstar Lance Franklin, Kurt Tippett and a resting ruckman.
It was a heartbreaking call for Suckling, who left the Hawks for Whitten Oval last year as a free agent.
He performed modestly in the semi-final win against Hawthorn but tweaked his achilles and missed the preliminary final triumph against the Giants.
Veteran backman Dale Morris is fully fit, despite reports he had a secret fitness test on Wednesday.
He did not train yesterday, but assistant coach Joel Corey said Morris had done enough on Wednesday.
Hard-nut midfielder Lin Jong was also named as an emergency, possibly with an eye to wet weather.
A morning downpour could trigger a late change following Jong’s best-on-ground performance in Footscray’s VFL premiership victory on Sunday.
Beveridge has made a series of strong calls at selection this year and again has backed his young troops, who will boast an average of 80 games each.
Sydney recalled co-captain Jarrad McVeigh and Rising Star winner Callum Mills at the expense of Aliir Aliir (knee) and Harry Marsh.
Mills, 19 and in his first year of AFL football, has played just one quarter of football in the past six weeks. He missed Round 23 and tore his hamstring early in the Swans qualifying final loss to GWS on September 10.
“I got through training yesterday (Wednesday) so I’ve done everything they asked me to” Mills said after arriving at Melbourne airport last night.
He’s considered a bigger risk of breaking down again than veteran McVeigh, 31, who must pass a searching final fitness test on Saturday morning to take his place in the Swans line-up.
McVeigh injured his calf in the semi-final against Adelaide and while he played out the game, he missed the preliminary final win over Geelong after being diagnosed with a grade one soleus strain.
GRAND FINAL TEAMS
SYDNEY SWANS v WESTERN BULLDOGS
Saturday October 1, 2:30pm, MCG
SWANS
B: J. Lloyd, H. Grundy, N. Smith
HB: C. Mills, J. Laidler, D. Rampe
C: K. Jack, J. Kennedy, J. McVeigh
HF: T. Mitchell, L. Franklin, L. Parker
F: T. Papley, K. Tippett, B. McGlynn
FOLL: S. Naismith, D. Hannebery, I. Heeney
I/C: Z. Jones, G. Hewett, X. Richards, G. Rohan
EMG: H. Cunningham, H. Marsh, T. Nankervis
IN: C. Mills, J. McVeigh
OUT: A. Aliir, H. Marsh
BULLDOGS
B: J. Johannisen, J. Hamling, M. Boyd
HB: S. Biggs, D. Morris, E. Wood
C: L. Hunter, M. Bontempelli, L. Picken
HF: J. Macrae, Z. Cordy, J. Stringer
F: T. Dickson, T. Boyd, C. Smith
FOLL: J. Roughead, L. Dahlhaus, T. Liberatore
I/C: T. McLean, F. Roberts, J. Dunkley, C. Daniel
EMG: M. Suckling, T. Campbell, L. Jong
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