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Sydney Swans recall pair for AFL grand final

Experienced Swan Jarrad McVeigh earned a recall for the grand final.

Experienced Swan Jarrad McVeigh earned a recall for the grand final. Photo: AAP

Sydney coach John Longmire is adamant Jarrad McVeigh and Callum Mills will play in Saturday’s AFL grand final, saying they have shown they will be ready.

McVeigh and Mills were the only players recalled at Thursday selections for the decider, with the Western Bulldogs naming an unchanged side.

Unless there are late changes, that will make Bulldogs defender Matthew Suckling a hard-luck story of the match.

McVeigh (calf) is back from one week out and Mills has missed the past two games with a hamstring injury.

“Millsy has trained all this week and been absolutely flat out at both sessions, so he’s done absolutely what’s required of him,” Longmire told the Nine Network’s The Footy Show.

“Jarrad ran really well on Wednesday and has pulled up really good, so we fully expect both of them to play.”

Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said it had been tough to tell Suckling and Lin Jong after Thursday training that they would not return to the team for Saturday’s match.

“No one deserves to go out of the side and Matty Suckling has been enormous for us this year, as has Jongy,” Beveridge said.

“Circumstances have it at the moment that they’ve found themselves out of the 22.

“The performance last week and even the week before, they all deserve their spot – you can’t omit anyone and you have to run with it.”

The week’s selection intrigue will continue until the final teams are confirmed on Saturday afternoon.

Suckling’s continued omission means the Bulldogs will have no players in their 22 on Saturday with grand final experience.

The last team without any experience in the premiership decider was St Kilda, when they lost the 1997 grand final to Adelaide.

Suckling was left out of their preliminary final side because of an Achilles problem and team balance.

The two-time Hawthorn premiership player joined the Bulldogs this season under free agency and had played 17 games, including their elimination final and semi-finals.

Bulldogs ruckman Jordan Roughead will need medical clearance on Friday before he is a confirmed selection.

Roughead suffered an eye injury when a ball was kicked into his face during last Saturday’s preliminary final win over the Giants.

He trained on Thursday and, at this stage, is expected to play.

After an injury-ravaged season, the Bulldogs have had the rare luxury of naming an unchanged side.

Suckling and Jong were added to their emergencies for the grand final, joining Tom Campbell – the obvious choice to replace Roughead if he is a late withdrawal.

Jong has made a remarkable comeback after suffering a broken collarbone in the elimination-final defeat of West Coast.

He furthered his selection claims last Sunday when he was best afield in Footscray’s VFL grand final triumph.

With McVeigh and Mills recalled, first-year defender Harry Marsh was the unlucky Swans omission.

Fellow defender Aliir Aliir was already ruled out on Wednesday because of the knee injury he suffered last Friday night in the preliminary final win over Geelong.

Marsh, Harry Cunningham and Toby Nankervis are the Swans’ emergencies.

-AAP

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