There was mixed news for Queenslanders at the AFL selection table tonight … but it was mostly bad.
In the only positive bulletin, Josh Drummond has been cleared to make his AFL finals debut for the Brisbane Lions against the Western Bulldogs at the MCG Friday night.
The dashing defender with the laser-like left foot will return to the Lions side after missing the qualifying final win over Carlton last Saturday night with a minor quad injury.
But Drummond returns as fellow Queenslander Scott Harding, nursing a foot problem, and Cheynee Stiller, carrying a minor hamstring complaint but officially cleared for selection, were omitted.
Stiller has played 22 of a possible 23 games this season.
And Joel Macdonald, a late withdrawal from the Lions side last week, could not force his way back into the side and joins Stiller among the emergency.
Also, Tom Williams, who has missed the Bulldogs’ last three games with a broken foot, will resume with affiliate club Williamstown in the VFL, and Sam Reid, who played the last three games of the home-and-away campaign before being an emergency last week, didn’t make the match squad of 25.
There was bad news out of the Collingwood camp, too, as Dayne Beams was forced out of Saturday night’s MCG clash with the Adelaide Crows with a calf complaint.
Beams, fourth in the NAB AFL Rising Star and second in the AFLPA Best First-Year Player Award, will miss potentially the biggest game of the Magpies season after playing 17 games in his debut season, including the last 11 in a row.
So, there will be just eight Queenslanders in action in week two of the Toyota AFL finals series.
Brisbane’s Drummond, Daniel Merrett and Rhan Hooper will take on the Bulldogs’ Jason Akermanis, Ben Hudson, Mitch Hahn and Jarrod Harbrow, while Adelaide’s Kurt Tippett will fly the Sunshine State flag solo against Collingwood.
The AFL website tonight reports that Collingwood was dealt a major blow when not just Beams but also Josh Fraser and Anthony Rocca joined Scott Pendlebury on the sidelines.
Pendlebury had a plate inserted in his leg on Monday in an effort to fast track the healing of a cracked fibula suffered during the qualifying final loss to St Kilda, which also saw Fraser (knee), Beams (calf) and Rocca (ankle) injured.
Despite being forced into making four changes, coach Mick Malthouse didn't stop there, with John McCarthy paying the price for a lacklustre showing against the Saints.
Former Lion Cameron Wood comes in to replace Fraser while Brad Dick, Tyson Goldsack, Brent Macaffer and Sharrod Wellingham have also earned recalls. McCarthy is an emergency along with Marty Clarke and Chris
Dawes.
Adelaide defender Nathan Bock has failed to recover from the heel injury that has sidelined him for five weeks
in time to face the Magpies.
Joining the All-Australian backman on the sidelines will be Richard Douglas, who has been omitted to make way for Robert Shirley.
Shirley comes back into the side after missing the past two matches with a hamstring. Douglas joins youngsters Rory Sloane and Phil Davis as emergencies.
Bock will train on Saturday morning, but will refrain from playing in the SANFL in order to give his injured heel another week's rest.
Josh Hill has been dropped by the Western Bulldogs ahead of Friday night's do-or-die semi-final against the Lions.
The 20-year-old had a quiet day in last week's loss to Geelong with 11 possessions and just one goal. It followed a quiet 10-disposal outing in round 22, with the back-to-back performances enough for Rodney Eade to go with former Cat Tim Callan instead.
Andrejs Everitt impressed as a mobile ruckman in the final round of the home-and-away season, and there had been speculation he could come in for Will Minson, who also struggled against the Cats.
However, he'll need a late withdrawal in order to play after being named as an emergency with Dylan Addison and Hill.
The banged-up Lions have rolled the dice on the fitness of skipper Jonathan Brown, who has been included in the side despite suffering a suspected fractured eye socket last week against Carlton.
Brown has been named along with fellow sore teammates Simon Black and Daniel Merrett, alongside inclusions Drummond, Jed Adcock and Tim Notting.
Adcock has been selected for the first time in eight weeks after hurting his knee against Geelong in round 15, while Notting has been named for what might be his final game for the Lions, after announcing his retirement earlier in the week.
Stiller and Jason Roe were. Stiller is an emergency along with Bradd Dalziell and Macdonald.
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