Overview
- Sydney confirmed on Thursday that Justin McInerney will return from a long hamstring layoff but Joel Amartey has been omitted and veteran Harry Cunningham was ruled out after a calf problem.
- Captain Callum Mills underwent ACL surgery after the qualifying final and will miss the rest of the season while five other Swans are serving club-imposed bans that rule them out for the year.
- Fremantle have named an unchanged 23-man squad for the trip to the SCG, keeping the same side that beat Geelong in last weekend’s semi-final.
- Brisbane coach Chris Fagan has dismissed a 67-point round-22 win over Hawthorn as non‑indicative and said defender Noah Answerth must be fully fit to play, while Eric Hipwood’s strong recent form has restored public confidence in him.
- With preliminary finals single-elimination matches, Sydney’s constrained list and possible defensive reshuffle — including Lewis Melican as a candidate — materially increase the importance of small fitness margins and selection choices for who reaches the grand final.