- Barlow a shock return, with Pavlich also in for Dockers
- Cats 'manage' three before finals
- Selwood, Naitanui, Yeo back for the Eagles


Click here for all the round 23 teams

FREMANTLE has been boosted by the inclusions of Matthew Pavlich and Michael Barlow for Saturday afternoon's crunch game against Port Adelaide at Patersons Stadium.

Barlow is a shock addition, having missed just last week's clash with the Brisbane Lions due to a broken thumb. 

The Dockers skipper was a late withdrawal with a quad complaint last week.

Garrick Ibbotson and Matt de Boer have both been omitted.

Power youngster Jarman Impey is the sole inclusion for Port, with defender Cam O'Shea losing his place in the side.

The teams will be playing off for fourth spot, and a double chance in this year's finals, on Saturday.

Collingwood has made three changes as it fights to keep its season alive against Hawthorn at the MCG on Friday night.

Needing a win (and a Richmond loss) to make the finals for a ninth straight season, the Pies have brought back Heritier Lumumba and Paul Seedsman, while tall prospect Corey Gault will make his debut.

Dane Swan (hamstring), Clinton Young (hamstring) and Brent Macaffer (knee) have all been ruled out.

The Hawks have lost Luke Hodge (knee soreness), Matt Suckling (knee) and Ben Stratton (calf cork). Ryan Schoenmakers, Taylor Duryea and Angus Litherland will all have the chance to play themselves into a finals berth.

Essendon midfielder Dyson Heppell is set to return from a broken bone in his hand for Saturday afternoon's showdown with Carlton at the MCG.

Heppell missed last week's encounter with Gold Coast after suffering the injury in a training mishap in the week before the game.

The star Bomber will be joined by Tom Bellchambers and Martin Gleeson. Essendon loses Jake Carlisle with a hamstring complaint, although he is hopeful of returning for the club's first final.

The Blues made three changes with Brock McLean, Dennis Armfield and Matthew Watson all included at the expense of dropped trio Nick Graham, Nick Holman and Blaine Johnson.

Richmond will welcome back star forward Dustin Martin for Saturday evening's must-win clash with the Sydney Swans.

The Tigers, who need to beat the top-of-the-ladder Swans to reach the finals, have omitted youngster Ben Lennon.

Sam Reid will return to the Swans side after being ruled out with a hip complaint last weekend, while 205cm ruckman Sam Naismith will play his first AFL game and replaces Mike Pyke (ill).

Jeremy Laidler has been dropped.

Geelong has decided to 'manage' a number of its key players in preparation for a likely qualifying final showdown with Hawthorn, with Hamish McIntosh, Allen Christensen and Steven Motlop all left out.

The Cats rested one player, Cameron Guthrie, before beginning its finals campaign last season.

Mitch Brown, Billie Smedts, Josh Walker, George Horlin-Smith and Lincoln McCarthy will all have the opportunity to prove themselves against the Lions.

Brown and Walker are likely to battle for hamstrung Shane Kersten's forward line spot, while Horlin-Smith replaces Brad Hartman (adductor).

Lions ruckman Matthew Leuenberger will play his first game since round four after overcoming an Achilles complaint, while Jackson Paine, Jordon Bourke and Zac O'Brien have all been named.

Ash McGrath (retired), Matt Maguire (ankle), Ryan Harwood (foot) and Michael Close go out of the side.

North Melbourne has made five changes for its duel with Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.

Daniel Wells, Lachlan Hansen, Dan Currie, Jamie Macmillan and debutant Mason Wood come into the side.

The Roos have taken a cautious approach with Michael Firrito (soreness), Lindsay Thomas (knee), Levi Greenwood (calf), Todd Goldstein (soreness) and Luke McDonald (back).

Jordie McKenzie and Aidan Riley are back for the Demons, with Colin Garland (knee) and Cam Pedersen making way.

West Coast has been buoyed by the returns of Scott Selwood and Nic Naitanui for Sunday's season-defining clash with Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium.

Selwood underwent ankle surgery in June but returns in a bid to hoist the Eagles into finals.

Ash Smith, Jacob Brennan, Blayne Wilson and Elliot Yeo are all in the mix to play.

Veteran ruckman Dean Cox may have played his final AFL match, with the champion Eagle set to miss Sunday's clash with soreness. If the Eagles are eliminated from the finals race, he will retire with 290 games next to his name.

Gold Coast, which maintains very slim finals hopes, loses Trent McKenzie to a hamstring injury. Matthew Warnock, Greg Broughton, Henry Schade and Louis Herbert come in to the squad.

Brent Reilly, David Mackay, Mitch Grigg, Sam Kerridge and Matt Crouch are all in line to play in Adelaide's must-win clash with St Kilda.

Rory Laird (concussion) and Luke Thompson will miss.

Sam Gilbert (foot) has already been ruled out of the running, with James Gwilt, Dylan Roberton, Lewis Pierce and Sam Dunell all in the mix to play for the Saints in Lenny Hayes' farewell game.

Will Minson returns for the Western Bulldogs after being surprisingly omitted for last week's encounter with the Sydney Swans.

Minson, Jason Tutt, Liam Jones, Fletcher Roberts and Tom Young have been named on an extended interchange. Jordan Roughead (shoulder) and Ayce Cory have already been left out.

Jonathan Giles, Phil Davis, Curtly Hampton, Jacob Townsend, Liam Sumner, Zac Williams and Cameron McCarthy are all in the mix to play for the Giants.

Adam Kennedy (shoulder), Tim Golds (concussion), Mark Whiley (hamstring) and Jono O'Rourke's (hamstring) seasons have finished early.


Friday, August 29

Collingwood v Hawthorn at the MCG, 7.50pm AEST


Collingwood
In: H.Lumumba, C.Gault, P.Seedsman
Out: D.Swan (hamstring), C.Young (hamstring), B.Macaffer (knee)
New: Corey Gault (Swan Districts)

Hawthorn
In: R.Schoenmakers, T.Duryea, A.Litherland
Out: L.Hodge (knee soreness), M.Suckling (knee), B.Stratton (calf cork)

Saturday, August 30

Carlton v Essendon at the MCG, 1.45pm AEST

Carlton
In: B.McLean , D.Armfield , M.Watson
Out: N.Graham, N.Holman, B.Johnson 

Essendon
In: T.Bellchambers, D.Heppell, M.Gleeson
Out: J.Carlisle (hamstring), A.Steinberg, O.Fantasia

Fremantle v Port Adelaide at Patersons Stadium, 1.10pm AWST

Fremantle
In: M.Pavlich , M.Barlow
Out: G.Ibbotson, M.de Boer 

Port Adelaide
In: J.Impey
Out: C.O'Shea

Sydney Swans v Richmond at ANZ Stadium, 4.40pm

Sydney Swans
In: S.Reid, S.Naismith
Out: J.Laidler, M.Pyke (illness)

Richmond
In: D.Martin
Out: B.Lennon

North Melbourne v Melbourne at Etihad Stadium, 7.40pm AEST

North Melbourne
In: D.Wells, L.Hansen, D.Currie, J.Macmillan, M.Wood
Out: M.Firrito (soreness), L.Thomas (knee), L.Greenwood (calf), T.Goldstein (soreness), L.McDonald (back)
New: Mason Wood (Geelong U18)

Melbourne
In: J.McKenzie, A.Riley
Out: C.Garland (knee), C.Pedersen

Geelong v Brisbane Lions at Simonds Stadium, 7.40pm AEST

Geelong
In: M.Brown, B.Smedts, J.Walker, G.Horlin-Smith, L.McCarthy
Out: H.McIntosh (managed), S.Motlop (managed), A.Christensen (managed), S.Kersten (hamstring), B.Hartman (adductor)

Brisbane Lions
In: M.Leuenberger, J.Paine, J.Bourke, Z.O'Brien
Out: A.McGrath (retired), M.Maguire (ankle), R.Harwood (foot), M/Close)
New: Jordon Bourke (Morningside)

Sunday, August 31

Gold Coast v West Coast at Metricon Stadium, 1.10pm AEST

Gold Coast
In: M.Warnock, G.Broughton, H.Schade, L.Herbert
Out: T.McKenzie (hamstring) 

West Coast
In: S.Selwood, A.Smith, N.Naitanui, J.Brennan, B.Wilson, E.Yeo
Out: D.Cox (soreness), M.Brown (foot), M.Hutchings (hamstring) 

Adelaide v St Kilda at Adelaide Oval, 2.50pm ACST

Adelaide
In: B.Reilly, D.Mackay, M.Grigg, S.Kerridge, M.Crouch
Out: L.Thompson, R.Laird (concussion)

St Kilda
In: J.Gwilt, D.Roberton, L.Pierce, S.Dunell
Out: S.Gilbert (foot) 

Western Bulldogs v Greater Western Sydney at Etihad Stadium, 4.40pm AEST

Western Bulldogs
In: W.Minson, J.Tutt, L.Jones, F.Roberts, T.Young
Out: J.Roughead (shoulder), A.Cordy 

GWS
In: J.Giles, P.Davis, C.Hampton, J.Townsend, L.Sumner, Z.Williams, C.McCarthy
Out: A.Kennedy (shoulder), T.Golds (concussion), M.Whiley (hamstring), J.O'Rourke (hamstring)