16/05/2008 5:14:22 PM
Miracle man Nick Malceski has made the cut and been named in Sydney's 22 for Sunday's clash with Essendon at ANZ Stadium.
The 23-year-old defender will take the field just 86 days after undergoing radical surgery to replace the ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee with a synthetic fibre.
Named initially on Sydney's extended bench on Thursday, Malceski comes in officially as one of two inclusions for the Swans along with Luke Ablett.
They replace Ben Mathews and Ed Barlow.
Essendon has lost midfielder Jobe Watson from the line-up announced on Thursday.
Watson twice failed to complete training this week and drops out of the Essendon squad along with Jarrod Atkinson, Jay Nash, Ricky Dyson and Courtney Johns - all omitted - and suspended pair Adam McPhee and Nathan Lovett Murray.
The Bombers' seven inclusions are Dustin Fletcher, Jason Laycock, Sam Lonergan, Mark McVeigh, Adam Ramanauskas, Kyle Reimers and Jason Winderlich who will take Watson's spot in the centre.
The Adelaide selectors have opted to delay Brent Reilly's return from a serious wrist injury.
Reilly, who hasn't played since fracturing his wrist in the Round 1 clash with the Western Bulldogs, was initially named among the Crows' interchange options for Sunday's clash with Melbourne at AAMI Stadium, but left out of the final 22 on Friday.
The Crows have settled on three changes - Luke Jericho, Ivan Maric and Ben Rutten in for Richard Douglas, Jarrhan Jacky and James Sellar.
Melbourne has dropped defender Nathan Carroll while Paul Wheatley misses with an injured calf.
Simon Buckley and first-gamer Shane Valenti are their replacements.
Former Bomber Kepler Bradley will debut for his new club as one of four changes for Fremantle for Sunday's clash with the Western Bulldogs at Subiaco Oval.
Bradley, Roger Hayden, Paul Duffield and Heath Black are the additions in place of the suspended Mark Johnson and Daniel Gilmore, Brock O'Brien and Ryan Murphy who've been dropped.
The Western Bulldogs are unchanged.