The 26-year-old missed last week's win over Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium with a calf strain, but has regained fitness and comes in at the expense of elevated rookie Simon Phillips.
Phillips, a former Sandringham Dragon, played three games in succession after being elevated prior to round 15, but has been dropped back to the emergency list this week along with Stephen Doyle and Luke Vogels.
The Bombers have also made just the one change with Nathan Lovett-Murray coming into the side that defeated Brisbane at Telstra Dome last week.
Joel Reynolds has been omitted, but is still an outside chance of playing after being named on the emergency list along with Chris Heffernan and Ben Jolley.
SYDNEY
B: Dempster, Barry, Bevan
HB: Kennelly, Roberts-Thomson, C.Bolton
C: Buchanan, Kirk, Ablett
HF: O'Keefe, Hall, J.Bolton
F: Schneider, O'Loughlin, Grundy
FOLL: Jolly, Goodes, McVeigh
I/C: Fosdike, Richards, Schmidt, Malceski
EMG: Doyle, Phillips, Vogels
IN: Fosdike
OUT: Phillips
ESSENDON
B: Cole, Fletcher, Solomon
HB: Welsh, McPhee, M.Johnson
C: Dyson, Watson, Stanton
HF: Camporeale, Lucas, McVeigh
F: Monfries, Hird, Lovett
FOLL: Hille, J.Johnson, Bolton
I/C: Bradley, Peverill, Nash, Lovett-Murray
EMG: Heffernan, Jolley, Reynolds
IN: Lovett-Murray
OUT: Reynolds
Field umpires: Vozzo, Schmitt, Jeffrey
