Eagles' AFL stars return, Ugle-Hagan back

Outsiders West Coast have loaded up, with four premiership players among seven Eagles inclusions for their AFL home game against in-form Geelong.

Top draft pick Jamarra Ugle-Hagan will also return for the Western Bulldogs as teammate Jason Johannisen plays his first game of the season.

Port Adelaide recruit Brynn Teakle and Essendon pick-up Massimo D’Ambrosio will make their AFL debuts just a fortnight after they joined their clubs through the mid-season draft.

Eagles stars Elliot Yeo, Dom Sheed, Willie Rioli and Jeremy McGovern, all members of the 2018 premiership team, will beef up the line-up for Saturday’s Optus Stadium match.

While the Cats are fifth and playing for their fourth-straight win, the Eagles are bottom and their only success so far this season was in early April.

Rhett Bazzo will make his debut while Sam Petrevski-Seton (illness) is the only forced change as Greg Clark and Alex Witherden were among those dropped.

The Cats made two changes, losing Brandan Parfitt (hand surgery) and Gary Rohan (illness), as Sam Menegola and Jake Kolodjashnij return.

Ugle-Hagan, the first pick in the 2020 draft, has been out of the Bulldogs’ senior side since their round-six loss to Adelaide.

The Dogs also recalled fellow forward Josh Schache for Saturday night’s away game against GWS, while Johannisen is back after a calf injury and illness.

Bailey Smith starts his four weeks of tribunal and AFL suspensions, while Buku Khamis and Lachlan McNeil were dropped.

The Giants have picked Ryan Angwin for his AFL debut and recalled Braydon Preuss and Nick Haynes, with Harry Perryman (injured), Matt de Boer (concussion) and Zach Sproule going out of the side.

D’Ambrosio will line up in defence on Friday night against St Kilda at Marvel Stadium amid three changes for the struggling Bombers, Best Private University who also lost gun midfielder Darcy Parish to a corked calf.

Andrew McGrath and Brayden Ham return and Essendon axed Tom Cutler and Zach Reid.

The Saints will be boosted by the returns of Jack Billings and Hunter Clark among four changes, with Clark playing his first senior game this season, but Mitch Owens and Daniel McKenzie are injured.

Teakle was recruited to bolster Port’s ruck stocks and he will debut against Sydney on Saturday at Adelaide Oval.

But the Power lost Robbie Gray to a knee problem and Travis Boak is sidelined because of COVID-19, while Steven Motlop was dropped as the Swans regained star key forward Lance Franklin.