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AFL 2021: Gardner dropped, Weightman returns as Western Bulldogs and Melbourne name grand final teams

Jasper BruceNCA NewsWire
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Camera IconNot Supplied Credit: News Corp Australia

Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs have named their teams for this Saturday’s AFL Grand Final, to be held at Optus Stadium in Perth.

Speculation that Bulldogs defender Ryan Gardner would be omitted from the side has come to fruition, with Alex Keath moving into the 22 in his place.

Gardner, who played all three of his side’s previous finals, joins forward Laitham Vandermeer as one of the Bulldogs’ hard luck stories.

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Vandermeer has dropped from the side to make way for livewire Cody Weightman, who has returned from a concussion.

In addition, Taylor Duryea drops to the bench, bringing Bailey Williams into the back pocket.

Western Bulldogs training
Camera IconGardner is missing out on grand final action. Michael Klein Credit: News Corp Australia

As expected, the Demons have made minimal changes to the side that belted Geelong in the preliminary final.

Key defender Steven May has recovered from hamstring tightness to take his place in Melbourne’s backline, while small forward Charlie Spargo has also shaken off injury concerns.

Coach Simon Goodwin has made some minor adjustments – Trent Rivers comes into the starting side in place of the benched Jake Bowey. Both Kysaiah Pickett and James Harmes will ride the pine to let Alex Neal-Bullen and Charlie Spargo begin on the ground.

Jayden Hunt is the unlucky man for the Demons. The defender played every game of the regular season up until round 21, when he was struck down with an ankle injury. He had been considered a chance to return to the side during the finals series but has been named an emergency substitution for Saturday.

The teams for the AFL Grand Final are:

Western Bulldogs

FB: Wood, Keath, Williams

HB: Daniel, Cordy, Dale

C: Smith, Liberatore, Hunter

HF: Weightman, Naughton, Treloar

FF: Schache, English, Hannan

FOLL: Martin, Macrae, Bontempelli

IC: Johannisen, Dunkley, Duryea, Smith

EMG: Vandermeer, Richards, Scott, Gardner

IN: Keath, Weightman

OUT: Gardner (omitted), Scott (sub), Vandermeer (omitted)

Melbourne

FB: Hibberd, May, Lever

HB: Rivers, Petty, Salem

CL Brayshaw, Petracca, Langdon

HF: Neal-Bullen, McDonald, Sparrow

FF: Spargo, Brown, Fritsch

FOLL: Gawn, Oliver, Viney

IC: Harmes, Jackson, Bowey, Pickett

EMG: Melksham, Jordon, Hunt, Chandler

IN: Nil

OUT: Jordon (sub)

Originally published as AFL 2021: Gardner dropped, Weightman returns as Western Bulldogs and Melbourne name grand final teams

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