Every club's finals best-22

Rejoice footy fans! We're through the bye and we are just over 24-hours away until the ball is bounced on the Adelaide Oval to get the 2017 finals series underway. After 23 grueling rounds, injuries and form have conspired to form a best-22 vastly different to the start of the year for some teams, while others have become bastions of consistency. So as we begin the four-week journey to Grand Final day, who is in each club's best-22? Adelaide FB: Jake Lever, Daniel Talia, Luke Brown HB: Rory Laird, Jake Kelly, David Mackay C: Rory Atkins, Rory Sloane, Brodie Smith HF: Charlie Cameron, Taylor Walker, Riley Knight FF: Tom Lynch, Josh Jenkins, Eddie Betts R: Sam Jacobs, Brad Crouch, Matt Crouch Int: Hugh Greenwood, Richard Douglas, Wayne Milera, Mitch McGovern The Crows have been blessed with injuries this year, even if Rory Sloane is no certainty to play against the Giants. Sloane is yet to train and must be given medical clearance to take the field after he had emergency appendix surgery last week. Their defence and midfield are both very solid units and provide the grunt necessary to feed the ball to their forwards. While the Crows have quality up and down the field, the forward line is where they excel. Four tall-targets in Taylor Walker, Josh Jenkins, Tom Lynch and Mitch McGovern rotate through the forward line and are supported by quality smalls Eddie Betts and Charlie Cameron making the minor premiers a very potent attacking threat. Geelong FB: Tom Stewart, Tom Lonergan, Jed Bews HB: Zach Tuohy, Lachie Henderson, Jake Kolodjashnij C: Cameron Guthrie, Patrick Dangerfield, Sam Menegola HF: Steven Motlop, Harry Taylor, Wylie Buzza FF: Daniel Menzel, Tom Hawkins, James Parsons R: Zac Smith, Joel Selwood, Mitch Duncan Int: Brandan Parfitt, Scott Selwood, Mark Blicavs, Andrew Mackie Geelong will be eager to welcome back captain Joel Selwood for the finals and the extra week off has given him every chance to line up for his 24th final on Friday night. Coach Chris Scott confirmed James Parsons would play in his Wednesday morning press conference. Rhys Stanley misses out because of poor form. A Dangerwood reunion as finals get underway is exactly what Cats fans will be dreaming of. Even though Geelong have coped well in their absence, welcoming back two top five players will be a significant boost to their Premiership aspirations. Richmond FB: Brandon Ellis, Alex Rance, Dylan Grimes HB: Bachar Houli, David Astbury, Nick Vlastuin C: Kamdyn McIntosh, Trent Cotchin, Jacob Townsend HF: Kane Lambert, Shane Edwards, Dustin Martin FF: Dan Butler, Jack Riewoldt, Daniel Rioli R: Toby Nankervis, Dion Prestia, Shaun Grigg Int: Josh Caddy, Jack Graham, Nathan Broad, Jason Castagna Richmond will enter September with a relatively stable line-up. There is only one potential change with Oleg Markov the most likely Tiger to make way for the returning Josh Caddy. All-Australian captain Alex Rance and Brownlow favourite Dustin Martin will be crucial if Richmond is to win its first final since 2001. Arguably, one of their major drawbacks is the quality of their second tier players. Richmond's top players are some of the best in the competition but the quality falls away significantly after that. Having made the top four, Richmond are well placed to give the finals a real shake and should at least be aiming to reach the third week. GWS FB: Adam Tomlinson, Nick Haynes, Aidan Corr HB: Zac Williams, Phil Davis, Heath Shaw C: Lachie Whitfield, Jacob Hopper, Josh Kelly HF: Callan Ward, Jonothon Patton, Toby Greene FF: Brett Deledio, Jeremy Cameron, Devon Smith R: Shane Mumford, Stephen Coniglio, Dylan Shiel Int: Nathan Wilson, Rory Lobb, Tim Taranto, Tom Scully The injury-woes of the middle of the season are merely memories for the Giants now. They have welcomed back several key players in recent weeks and have built some impressive form, save for a final round defeat to Geelong. Veteran Steve Johnson is likely to miss as his age finally catches up to him. They will miss his valuable finals experience but cannot afford to carry a liability when several players are banging the door down. Tim Taranto would logically be the first cab off the rank after an impressive 30-disposal, six tackle and one goal effort in the NEAFL on his return from injury, but Matt De Boer's finals experience may be called upon instead. Port Adelaide FB: Riley Bonner, Tom Clurey, Dougal Howard HB: Darcy Byrne-Jones, Jackson Trengove, Jasper Pittard C: Jared Polec, Ollie Wines, Justin Westhoff HF: Sam Powell-Pepper, Robbie Gray, Sam Gray FF: Jake Neade, Charlie Dixon, Chad Wingard R: Paddy Ryder, Brad Ebert, Travis Boak Int: Dan Houston, Hamish Hartlett, Karl Amon, Aidyn Johnson Port Adelaide will enter finals slightly undermanned in defence with the absence of Tom Jonas. Jonas will return in the second week of finals should Port advance but in the meantime, Jackson Trengove looks set for a recall after three excellent games in the SANFL. But it will be a race against time to see if he can recover from a head knock. Port's greatest strength is the power it possesses through the midfield and forward with Robbie Gray, Sam Powell-Pepper, Ollie Wines and Chad Wingard joined by All-Australian ruckman Paddy Ryder. It also boasts impressive rebound off half-back with Darcy Byrne-Jones, Jasper Pittard, Riley Bonner and Hamish Hartlett. Sydney FB: Nick Smith, Heath Grundy, Dane Rampe HB: Callum Mills, Lewis Melican, Jarrad McVeigh C: Isaac Heeney, Josh P. Kennedy, Jake Lloyd HF: Gary Rohan, Lance Franklin, Zak Jones FF: Tom Papley, Sam Reid, Will Hayward R: Callum Sinclair, Luke Parker, Dan Hannebery Int: Nic Newman, Dean Towers, Kurt Tippett, George Hewett On paper and going on recent form, the Swans are the strongest outfit in this year's finals series with quality contributors all over the ground. They should welcome back Dan Hannebery and Tom Papley from injury while Callum Sinclair and Kurt Tippett are listed as tests on the club's injury list. Their midfield machine is their biggest strength, alongside superstar forward Buddy Franklin. The Swans have been an irresistible juggernaut since their dismal 0-6 start to the season but they have a potentially tricky run to the Grand Final. Essendon FB: James Kelly, Michael Hartley, Mark Baguley HB: Andrew McGrath, Michael Hurley, Brendon Goddard C: Jobe Watson, David Zaharakis, Zach Merrett HF: Orazio Fantasia, Cale Hooker, Martin Gleeson FF: Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti, Joe Daniher, James Stewart R: Tom Bellchambers, Darcy Parish, Dyson Heppell Int: Patrick Ambrose, David Meyers, Travis Colyer, Conor McKenna Essendon will be sweating on the fitness of key players Michael Hurley, Orazio Fantasia and Cale Hooker. While Hurley and Fantasia trained on Wednesday, Hooker only trained outdoors for 10 minutes and will need to impress in training on Thursday and Friday to be a chance to feature on Saturday afternoon. Otherwise, there are no real surprises. West Coast FB: Tom Barrass, Eric McKenzie, Brad Sheppard HB: Shannon Hurn, Jeremy McGovern, Mark Hutchings C: Jamie Cripps, Luke Shuey, Andrew Gaff HF: Elliot Yeo, Jack Darling, Jack Redden FF: Drew Petrie, Josh J. Kennedy, Mark LeCras R: Nathan Vardy, Matt Priddis, Sam Mitchell Int: Dom Sheed, Sharrod Wellingham, Lewis Jetta, Liam Duggan Sharrod Wellingham's recent form in the WAFL could see him in line for selection this week to play Port Adelaide in a finals series which could determine his future. Luke Partington is the most likely man to make way after some lean performances from the young midfielder. The Eagles could also pull a surprise by recalling ruckman Nic Naitanui. Naitanui is a player the Eagles desperately need but has not played football at any level since Round 22 last year, and would be a big risk. The Eagles will have to prove they're more than just making up the numbers. They certainly have the quality but have lacked the consistency in the second half of the year, and that will have to change quickly if they are to avoid a meek finals exit.

		P	W	L	PTS	%
1	SYD	2	2	0	8	182.9
2	WB	2	2	0	8	154.1
3	PORT	1	1	0	4	400
4	GC	1	1	0	4	181.2
5	ADEL	1	1	0	4	117.7
6	HAW	2	1	1	4	117.1
7	COLL	2	1	1	4	98.7
8	GEEL	2	1	1	4	79.6
9	GWS	2	1	1	4	76.4
10	CARL	2	1	1	4	70.9

Every club’s finals best-22

Essendon

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