Star Swan back with Sydney's season on the line
Star midfielder Dan Hannebery returns from injury for Sydney as the Swans turn to their veterans to make a final surge to the line for September.
After fielding some of their most inexperienced sides since coach John Longmire assumed the reins in 2011, the Swans have got their band back together for the vital game against Melbourne at the MCG.
Hannebery joins premiership teammates Kieren Jack and Jarrad McVeigh, who returned last week, back in the 22 with the Swans needing to win two of their last three games to make the finals.
It has been an eventful week for Hannebery, who has been linked to a move to St Kilda next season despite being contracted until the end of 2021.
Hampered by injury and a limited pre-season, the triple All Australian has three weeks to salvage something out of arguably his poorest season since making his debut as a schoolboy in 2009.
Despite his moderate form, the Swans did not consider playing him in the seconds. They had contemplated rushing him back last week to face Collingwood but opted to give him another week on the track after the calf injury he suffered in round 16.
"Hanners has had a really good strong week at training and trained really sharply his last session," Swans coach John Longmire said. "He adds to that depth, he's a class player."
At his best, Hannebery will add bite to a once powerful Swans midfield, which has lost the contested possession count five times in a row.
They face a Demons side who have excelled in that area this year, powered by the dominance of Max Gawn in the ruck and rising star Clayton Oliver.
"They're the highest scoring team in the competition and they rely upon their midfield in particular and a dominant ruckman to get the ball forward," Longmire said.
"We have to be competitive in that part of the ground, get it to ground and make sure our mids go to work, take the pressure off our defence and get it forward."
Hannebery returns at the expense of Dan Robinson, who has been dropped for the fifth time this year.
Despite concerns some of their young forwards might be tiring, the Swans did not pick speedster Gary Rohan, who will play in the reserves after recovering from surgery to repair a broken hand.
First and second-year forwards Tom McCartin, Will Hayward and Ben Ronke will again be relied upon to take the pressure off superstar spearhead Lance Franklin, whose six goals inspired the Swans to a thrilling win over the Magpies.
Hitting the road poses no fears for the Swans, who are 7-2 away from the SCG this year. Their last visit to the MCG ended in a thrilling win over Hawthorn when Ben Ronke was the unlikely match-winner with seven goals in his third game.
The Swans are likely to be out of the eight if they lose on Sunday. They would then need to upset Greater Western Sydney and Hawthorn to book a ninth straight finals campaign.
The stakes are also high for the Demons, who travel to Perth to face West Coast before a round-23 blockbuster against the Giants at the MCG.