Hinkley set to swing axe; Lion’s good news, one-gamer in frame for recall — Finals Team Tips

The league’s Most Courageous Player is in a race against the clock to prove his fitness for this Friday’s do-or-die final.

Meanwhile, his opposition are pondering the potential recall of a key defender with only one game of AFL experience, replacing a key cog who’s been ruled out of the rest of 2024.

Read about the latest selection and injury news ahead of the second week of finals in AFL Team Tips!

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FINALS WEEK 2 TEAM TIPS AND FIXTURE (All times AEST)

PORT ADELAIDE v HAWTHORN

Friday September 13, 7:40pm at the Adelaide Oval

Port Adelaide’s Qualifying Final side:
B: La.Jones, B.Zerk-Thatcher, M.Bergman

HB: R.Burton, A.Aliir, L.Evans

C: J.Burgoyne, O.Wines, W.Drew

HF: D.Byrne-Jones, E.Ratugolea, W.Rioli

F: M.Georgiades, C.Dixon, C.Rozee – C

FOLL: J.Sweet, J.Horne-Francis, Z.Butters

I/C: T.Boak, J.McEntee, J.Mead, F.Evans, Q.Narkle

EMG: J.Sinn, D.Visentini, T.Marshall

Team Tips: Aside from their woeful performance last week, there are two big question marks coaches will need to answer at the selection table in Alberton. Firstly, how severe is Zak Butters’ rib injury? The superstar has been cleared of any internal damage, but bruising still lingers – which at least poses a level of doubt over the league’s Most Courageous Player for two years straight. The second big selection question for the Power, is do they pull the lever on Charlie Dixon? The 33-year-old unfortunately had a howler of a match against the Cats, and with Todd Marshall fit and ready on the emergency list, it looks likely that Ken Hinkley will swap the two for the must-win semi-final. Others possibly on the chopping block are Francis Evans and Lachie Jones, both of which will be desperate to rectify what were poor performances against Geelong. Josh Sinn would be the next in line at Alberton to come into the 23 and could even make a cameo appearance as the sub over Quinton Narkle, who also struggled to make an impact after being injected into the qualifying final at half time. Seemingly forgotten defender Dylan Williams could be a left-field option for Hinkley to consider bringing in down back.

Hawthorn’s Elimination Final side:

B: J.Sicily – C, S.Frost, J.Impey

HB: M.D’Ambrosio, J.Scrimshaw, F.Maginness

C: C.Macdonald, D.Moore, J.Ward

HF: K.Amon, M.Chol, J.Ginnivan

F: C.Dear, J.Gunston, N.Watson

FOLL: L.Meek, J.Worpel, J.Newcombe

I/C: J.Weddle, H.Morrison, C.Nash, B.Hardwick, L.Breust

EMG: J.Serong, C.Jiath, N.Reeves

Team Tips: The Hawks continue to defy doubters after another epic win last weekend that now leaves them raging favourites to knock over the Power at ‘The Portress’ that is Adelaide Oval. There was one unfortunate takeaway from Friday night however, with Sam Frost ruled out for the remainder of the season with a stress injury in his foot forcing him into a moonboot indefinitely. Who replaces him becomes a very interesting discussion point, with Changkuoth Jiath on face value the first option in. But the Hawks have been hesitant to bring in last week’s emergency in recent times, but would the Hawks be better off looking towards a more traditional key defender such as Ethan Phillips or Denver Grainger-Barras? Grainger-Barras hasn’t played the house down in the VFL this season, while Phillips has only played one career game — ironically also against the Power in Adelaide for their one-point loss in Round 10. And all eyes will be on how Will Day trains this week; ever so hopeful of returning from a shoulder injury. The early indication is he’ll be facing another uphill battle to play, but the Hawks certainly aren’t putting a line through him just yet. Jai Serong and Seamus Mitchell have been consistent performers for the reserves this season but look unlikely to be able to squeeze their way in given how well the senior side performed on the big stage last Friday.

GWS GIANTS v BRISBANE

Saturday September 14, 7:30pm at ENGIE Stadium

GWS’ Qualifying Final side:

B: H.Himmelberg, S.Taylor, C.Idun

HB: L.Whitfield, J.Buckley, H.Perryman

C: C.Ward, T.Green, J.Kelly

HF: B.Daniels, A.Cadman, T.McMullin

F: D.Jones, J.Hogan, T.Greene – C

FOLL: K.Briggs, S.Coniglio, F.Callaghan

I/C: J.Peatling, L.Ash, L.Keeffe, I.Cumming, X.O’Halloran

EMG: J.Riccardi, C.Stone, N.Haynes

Team Tips: GWS will consider themselves quite unlucky to not be enjoying this weekend off, but nonetheless, are instead set to face an unpredictable Brisbane outfit. With thankfully no injuries to speak of, there will only be unforced changes made, if any by Adam Kingsley and his coaching panel. The fitness of Toby Bedford will be the biggest talking point out of the Giants camp, after failing to fully recover from a calf injury for last weekend’s ‘Battle of the Bridge’. He’ll be given every chance to come into the side for Saturday night’s match, with young gun Toby McMullin the most likely to make way for the former Demon. Forward Jake Riccardi is also evidently fit after being named on the emergency list last week and is also an option as a sub role in place of Xavier O’Halloran if Kingsley would prefer an extra forward in the mix against the Lions.

Brisbane’s Elimination Final side:

B: D.Zorko, H.Andrews, B.Starcevich

HB: D.Wilmot, J.Payne, R.Lester

C: J.Fletcher, W.Ashcroft, H.McCluggage

HF: C.Rayner, J.Daniher, J.Berry

F: C.Cameron, E.Hipwood, Z.Bailey

FOLL: O.McInerney, J.Dunkley, L.Neale – C

I/C: K.Lohmann, C.Ah Chee, L.Morris, N.Answerth, C.McKenna

EMG: H.Sharp, D.Fort, D.Joyce

Team Tips: Key defender Jack Payne (knee) was the only casualty to come from Brisbane’s comprehensive beating of Carlton in last Saturday’s elimination final. Payne had returned from a foot injury after missing seven games, only to succumb to a fresh ailment in the second quarter at the weekend. However, after undergoing scans, the 24-year-old has avoided ‘any serious knee damage’ and remains a possibility to play this weekend, per the club’s Monday release. If Payne can’t go this Saturday night, fellow backman Darragh Joyce looms as the likely replacement, having gone out of the side in favour of Payne last Thursday at selection — he notched 21 disposals and 12 marks in the VFL. The Lions say Payne will train this week with the assistance of a knee brace, before making a call on his availability closer to Thursday’s selection. Elsewhere, James Tunstill (concussion protocols) should be available this week. At VFL level, the Lions won a high-scoring battle with Williamstown to progress to preliminary final weekend — out-of-favour midfielders Jarryd Lyons (39 disposals) and Deven Robertson (35) led the way from a ball-winning perspective, while forward Brandon Ryan kicked four goals, and the omitted Harry Sharp booted three from 19 possessions in bids for semi-final recalls. Youngster Jaspa Fletcher (nine disposals) was quiet on a wing against the Blues, while rebounder Conor McKenna (seven) performed modestly after entering as the substitute in the second quarter.