Marcus Bontempelli returns as the Western Bulldogs bring back a series of guns in their bid to sneak eighth spot from Collingwood – and make Melbourne’s plan to hold onto a top-six berth that much tougher. Live updates below!
The Bulldogs captain, who became a father for the first time this week with the birth of daughter Daisy, is a welcome inclusion for the Dogs (12-1-9, 94.1%), who forced a draw with Carlton in his absence last week.
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Dual All-Australian half-back Bailey Dale is also back from a shoulder injury, as is fellow defender Connor Budarick, as Luke Beveridge’s team bolsters their stocks heading into a do-or-die wildcard final.
The Demons (15-7, 111.2%) have it all to play for: win, and they’ll be one Hawthorn misstep away from the top four; lose, and they’ll be vulnerable to sliding all the way to seventh.
The loss of spearhead Jacob van Rooyen to a three-match suspension after two attempts at clearing his name is a major blow to Steven King’s men, who will need to find a way to maintain their scoring potency without him through two finals no matter where they land.
Match details: Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs from 4:15pm AEST at the MCG
Watch it live: On Fox Footy (channel 504), and streaming on Kayo, from 4pm AEST
