Sydney coach John Longmire is about to take the biggest gamble of his coaching career after rubber stamping the selection of Jarrad McVeigh and Callum Mills for Saturday's grand final.
After a week of intense speculation, the pair were named on Thursday night in the Swans' 22 with Longmire scotching suggestions they still needed to prove their fitness in a final session Friday morning.
The Western Bulldogs have not made any changes to the side that ended Greater Western Sydney's season but ruckman Jordan Roughead's fate hinges on a medical clearance on his eye.
Mills has been given the green light despite not playing a full game in six weeks. He missed round 23 with a calf niggle then strained his hamstring in the first half of the loss to Greater Western Sydney after the pre-finals bye.
The Rising Star winner, however, proved his fitness with two high intensity sessions this week while McVeigh did everything that was asked of him on Wednesday.
"They're all picked and they'll be playing," Longmire said on Fox Footy's AFL 360 program on Thursday night.
Assistant coach Henry Playfair had earlier said the pair still needed to jump through a few hoops but Longmire is not a believer in playing ducks and drakes with the announcement of teams.
Harry Marsh joined Aliir Aliir as the Swans' hard luck story after being left out of the team. He was named as an emergency alongside ruckman Toby Nankervis and utility Harry Cunningham. As expected, there will be no fairytale farewell for club stalwart Ted Richards despite Aliir's injury.
The selection of McVeigh and Mills is a high stakes play by a coach who is generally conservative with picking injured players. McVeigh is one of the Swans' best ball users while Mills has been a revelation with his courageous marking and poise across half-back in his first season. If either breaks down it would leave the Swans severely stretched.
"He's an experienced player, he knows what it's about, he's smart and plays a really strong brand of football so it's great to have him back in the side," Longmire said of McVeigh.
"[Callum] has given himself every possible chance from the moment he got injured. He's done absolutely everything right. He's trained absolutely flat out this week.
"In the end it was really hard to keep him out of the team."
Marsh was pipped for the final berth in the Sydney defence by seasoned defender Jeremy Laidler, who is one of nine Swans playing in his first grand final.
"He's played some good footy for us. It's always a tough decision, whether it be injury or non-selection," Longmire said of Marsh.
"I'm sure the Bulldogs have had their challenges as well, everyone does this time of year, but it's really about the 22 playing now and those who'll give us the best possible chance."
The Bulldogs have left out the only player on their list who has played in a grand final, former Hawk Matthew Suckling. He, Lin Jong – who was best on ground in the VFL decider last week – and big man Tom Campbell are their emergencies.
Campbell could get a last-minute call-up if Roughead does not get the all clear from doctors after suffering bleeding to his eye last week.
"He's got to check off with the eye specialist tomorrow but he moved pretty well out there," Bulldogs assistant Joel Corey said on Thursday.
"The welfare of our players is really important to us and blood in the eye is not a minor thing. It could have complications.
"What (the doctor) says will certainly hold a lot of weight."
