Carlton’s courageous utility Sam Docherty will make his comeback from a knee reconstruction in the elimination final against the Brisbane Lions.

Docherty will return to action just 183 days after being hurt in round one against at the Gabba, the venue of the knockout final on Saturday night.

Carlton said in a statement Docherty was told of his inclusion in the Blues’ side on Tuesday morning, capping a stunning comeback from a third knee reconstruction in his 168-game career.

The 30-year-old hasn’t played football at any level since being hurt in Carlton’s season-opener on March 8.

Swans face selection squeeze as stars return

The cavalry is set to arrive for Sydney ahead of their AFL qualifying final clash against rivals GWS.

Swans coach John Longmire is optimistic Tom Papley, Justin McInerney, Isaac Heeney and Tom McCartin will be fit to play at the SCG after his stars completed training on Tuesday.

Papley (ankle) and McInerney (knee) have been sidelined for two months, while Heeney and McCartin were managed out of their round-24 match against Adelaide.

With all four likely to put their hand up for Saturday’s contest, Longmire admits he’s putting off the inevitable selection headache.

“They all trained today, and all got through well, so hopefully they do the same again on Thursday,” Longmire said.

“I usually don’t get too ahead of myself (with selection) until the last training session is done.

“I kick that can down the road a little bit and make the decision after the last training session what it looks like.”

Longmire concedes Papley and McInerney have missed out on valuable game time but remained confident the duo will be able to deliver on the finals stage.

“They’ve been doing the training they’ve had to do over many weeks now,” he said.

“Last week they were able to ramp it right up, knowing that we weren’t playing on the weekend, and then again, this week, they’ve lifted it as well.

“They’ve missed a few weeks, but in ‘Juzzy’s’ his case, he’s got great fitness. He’s an elite runner, so it’s just about how he feels around the ball and the contest.

“Paps, he’s an A-grade quality player, and he was able to ramp it up significantly today, which is a good sign.”

Meanwhile, the Giants are expected to welcome back forward Jake Riccardi (finger) and Lachie Ash (suspension).

“We know that they’ll be virtually, if not, at full strength. They’ll get a number of players back,” Longmire said.

“They’re a team that’s won seven of the last eight games, the form team of the competition.

“We need to be at our best, and hopefully player availability is strong for Thursday selection.”

Sydney’s Tom Papley. (Photo by Matt King/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

But Giants defender Ash hinted tagger Toby Bedford could miss out with calf soreness.

“There’s not too many complaints at all. We’re really healthy,” Ash said on Tuesday.

“I think Toby Bedford is probably the only one that’s not gonna be available for selection, which is great so we’re healthy at the right time of year.”

Neale is confident Lions have learnt lessons from past failures

Brisbane have “stuffed up” in recent finals campaigns, co-captain Lachie Neale says.

But he believes the harsh lessons are now a positive as the Lions enter a sixth consecutive finals series, starting with Saturday night’s home elimination final against Carlton.

“Finals are built on moments,” Neale told reporters on Tuesday.

“We have stuffed up a lot of moments, big moments.

“And we have been through a range of experiences not only in finals but even this year, we have had to win in so many different ways.

“Against Sydney, we came from behind and won that game; we have had leads and blown them in the last couple of weeks as well.

“We have learnt so many different things across this season, let alone our finals experience.

“We feel like we’re well equipped for any situation that a game throws at us.

“We know it’s simple brilliance gets it done in finals and when we stray away from that we sort of lose our way a little bit, so there have been some great lessons for us for six years now.”

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Neale was bullish about the Lions’ prospects, given the club’s recovery from a precarious start.

Brisbane had just three wins from their initial nine games amid a horror stretch of injuries.

But since a round 12 bye, the Lions won 10 games with just two losses and finished fifth.

“No one expected us to play finals halfway through the year,” the dual Brownlow medallist said.

“There has been quite a bit of talk that we let a top-four opportunity slip, which we did.

“But at the same time if you said halfway through the year that we’d be fifth, probably most people wouldn’t have believed you.”

Neale was asked if the Lions, who lost last year’s grand final to Collingwood by four points, could win the premiership.

Lachie Neale of the Lions looks dejected after the 2023 AFL Grand Final. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)

“Definitely, over a long period of time, I think our form really stacks up,” he said.

“We have played some of the best teams – we have beaten the top two in that period, Sydney and Port Adelaide, and the Bulldogs who are one of the form teams as well.

“We don’t expect it to be an easy ride, but we feel like if we play our best footy, we’re every chance of winning it … we genuinely believe we can win it and I’m sure seven other teams do to.”

(AAP)

Western Bulldogs hoping to recapture 2016 finals magic

Bailey Dale was being congratulated in the street following the Western Bulldogs’ drought-breaking 2016 premiership.

The classy defender was then only 20 and didn’t even play in the grand final.

But the magic of the club’s first AFL/VFL premiership in 62 years lit up the western suburbs of Melbourne.

“We just had momentum going into that final series,” Dale said of the 2016 run.

“You only need to play four good games of footy from now on.

“To see how much impact it had on the people around there, hopefully, we can do that this year.

“You walk down the street and you’re getting people saying ‘thank you’ and pats on the back, everyone’s saying congratulations – and I didn’t even play in the game!

“So I can only imagine what those guys (that played) were getting when they were walking past people.”

(Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

The comparisons between 2016 and the current-day Bulldogs are there for all to see.

Like the six other finals series the Bulldogs have qualified for under coach Luke Beveridge, this season they finished outside the top four, booking a blockbuster elimination final against Hawthorn at the MCG on Friday night.

In 2016, the seventh-placed Bulldogs won four straight finals – including two outside of Victoria – to claim the most unlikely of premierships.

One of those victories came against Hawthorn, who were vying to win a record-equalling four straight flags.

On the losing side for the Hawks that night was Taylor Duryea, who is now trying to help the Bulldogs win the third premiership in their history.

“Right on the (full-time) siren, I gave away a 50 (metre penalty),” Duryea said.

“The game was over, but I threw the ball back at Caleb Daniel’s feet after he got me holding the ball, then he kicked the goal.”

Duryea switched to the Bulldogs in 2019, playing an important role in their charge to the 2021 grand final, which they lost against Melbourne.

The dual Hawks premiership player believes this group is more than capable of making it all the way to the decider, as the Bulldogs did in 2016 and 2021.

“It’s up there in terms of the type of footy we’ve been playing, particularly since probably the Hawthorn loss (in round eight),” Duryea said.

“This type of footy feels like it’s got good consistency to it across all phases of the game.

“In 2021, we were full of confidence, had a great team and put together a great season.

“It’s hard to say whether we’re in a better position than then, but we definitely feel like we’re in a good spot to have a crack at this finals series and hopefully go all the way.”

When the Bulldogs lost to Hawthorn, they slumped to 3-5 as the heat on Beveridge intensified after they had spectacularly missed finals last year.

“It was probably a bit of a moment where we thought we’re going to probably change a few things up,” Duryea said.

“As much as you want to think about a game plan or how you go about it, your style of footy, we were pretty much beaten up in the contest against the Hawks that day.

“That was one thing that we needed to get stronger at across the board, and then so many things flow from there.”

The upcoming clash with the Hawks will be the Bulldogs’ first final in Melbourne since the famous October day eight years ago.

After missing finals in 2017 and 2018, the Bulldogs were knocked out in an elimination final by GWS in Sydney in 2019.

During the COVID-affected seasons, the Bulldogs lost a final against St Kilda at the Gabba in 2020, before winning matches in Launceston, Brisbane and Adelaide just to qualify for the 2021 grand final held at Perth’s Optus Stadium.

“To be able to play in front of family and friends, I’m super excited, and I know they are, too,” Dale said.

“They’ve been waiting 10 years (Dale was drafted in 2014) to be able to watch a final in Melbourne with me playing in it.”

(AAP)

‘Unpredictable’ star Jeremy Cameron keeps Cats on their toes

Gryan Miers admits he never knows what to expect from Geelong teammate Jeremy Cameron.

But it’s that unpredictability that defines the All-Australian superstar, a country lad who famously lost his premiership medal to a cow and posted the evidence on social media.

“We’ll be down a goal in a final and he’ll come up to me and say, ‘Do you smell the meat pies in the crowd?'” Miers said ahead of the Cats’ qualifying final against Port Adelaide.

“You’re just not sure what you’re going to get from him, and then he’ll go on and kick the winning goal.

“It’s just the fun of playing with Jeremy and the character he is.”

Cameron has led Geelong’s goal-kicking for the second successive season in 2024, standing up in the absence of injured spearhead Tom Hawkins.

The 31-year-old’s 58 majors during the home-and-away campaign earned him a second All-Australian blazer and steered the Cats back into flag contention after missing finals last year.

It’s his X-factor that Miers believes makes his high-profile teammate so valuable.

“Even though he’s the best, he’s the hardest to know what he’s going to do,” Miers said.

“It’s exciting and it makes it unpredictable for us in a predictable team.

“It’s great to have one or two of those players that you know you can trust are going to do the job but you’re just not sure how they’re going to do it.”

Cameron will again lead the Cats’ attack when they take on the Power at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night.

Jeremy Cameron celebrates a goal. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Veteran forward Hawkins has been missing since June because of a foot injury, opening the door for inexperienced tall Shannon Neale.

Former Collingwood forward Ollie Henry and Rising Star winner Ollie Dempsey have also shone in an evolving forward mix.

The latter trio are among six Cats – along with Cameron, Tyson Stengle and Brad Close – who have each kicked more than 20 goals in the competition’s third-most potent attack this season.

“Hawk’s leadership is something that you just can’t replace, so we’ve all had to step up in different ways,” Miers said.

“But it is fun having that new era of Cats that we’re bringing to the forefront.

“Playing with Ollie (Henry) and Shannon Neale has just been so much fun to have new, fresh faces.”

Club great Hawkins is set to return through the VFL this week and could yet feature in the Cats’ AFL premiership push before retiring at the end of the season.

“I’ve played with Hawk for six years and I don’t think we’d really missed playing a game together, so it has been different,” Miers said.

“Hopefully Hawk can be out there one or two more times, but we’ll see what happens.”

Miers has been a Geelong regular since his debut in 2019 but shot to prominence last year when he broke the all-time competition record with 41 goal assists in a season.

The 25-year-old leads the Cats again in that department this year with 24 goal assists and is entering his fifth finals series in six seasons eyeing a second premiership medal.

“I’ve been absolutely blessed and put in a situation that I could only have dreamed of,” he said.

“I’ve been able to fight for finals every year and play in finals (almost) every year.

“Sometimes they’ve gone wrong, sometimes they’ve gone right, and I’ve just had amazing experiences along the way.”

(AAP)