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No ruckman for Dees as Dogs wield AFL axe

Melbourne have named an unchanged AFL lineup for Sunday's clash against the Western Bulldogs, who have confirmed five changes to their side.

Melbourne will again line up without a genuine ruckman, naming an unchanged side for Sunday's AFL clash with Melbourne.

The Dees have resisted the temptation to bring Jake Spencer back for the Etihad Stadium encounter, instead sticking with the team that claimed a nailbiting win over Collingwood in the Queen's Birthday game.

Spencer, Ben Kennedy and Sam Weideman have been named as emergencies, with All-Australian ruckman Max Gawn given another week to prove he's over a serious hamstring injury.

Cam Pedersen, Tom McDonald and Jack Watts are again likely to share the ruck load for the Demons.

"We're trying to reward behaviours and reward performance and I thought the boys last Monday were outstanding," coach Simon Goodwin told the Demons website on Friday.

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"We're going with the same mix and the same ruck set-up, so unchanged."

The Bulldogs confirmed five changes after last week's 46-point loss to Sydney, with veteran Matthew Boyd headlining the omissions.

Fletcher Roberts and Tim English were also dropped, while Travis Cloke is out due to soreness and Marcus Adams departs with a foot injury.

Dale Morris, Tom Boyd, Tom Liberatore, Zaine Cordy and Mitch Honeychurch have been added to the final 22.

Matthew Boyd, a former club captain and an All-Australian pick last season, was set to break the record for games played by a former rookie-listed player.

But the 34-year-old will have to wait to pass former West Coast star Dean Cox after he was dropped on 290 career games.

The Bulldogs are ninth with a 6-5 record in a season where they have struggled to find consistent form.


2 min read

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Source: AAP


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