Sydney has reshaped its side for Saturday's Sydney vs Richmond clash at the SCG, resting Brodie Grundy and losing Callum Mills, Malcolm Rosas and Tom Papley to injury. Harry Kyle earned his AFL debut in the changes, while Peter Ladhams comes in to cover for Grundy.
The match kicks off at 1.15pm AEST, with Sydney trying to steady itself after a loss to Geelong that left it 9-2 and cost it some grip on top spot. The Swans have still won eight of their past nine at the SCG, which is why the changes matter so much for a home game that has become one of their safest hunting grounds.
Richmond arrives with a 2-9 record but has been lifted by a stirring win over Essendon after working through an injury crisis. The Tigers also regain Dion Prestia, Sam Banks and Liam Fawcett, giving them more experience and depth than they carried into recent weeks.
There is a catch to that optimism. Richmond has won only once in its past 10 matches at the SCG, a run that stretches back 20 years, so the Tigers are walking into a ground where history has been heavily against them even after the lift from last week's result. Jonty Faull is out with concussion, Tom Lynch misses with a throat injury and Tom Burton has been omitted, leaving Richmond with changes of its own.
For Sydney, the open question is how the revised line-up functions without Grundy, Mills, Rosas and Papley all at once. Hayden McLean and Harry Cunningham are back, and Kyle's debut gives the Swans another selection story, but Saturday will still tell a fuller story about whether a side built around continuity can keep its edge when four familiar names are missing at once.
