WITH a daunting trip to Sydney ahead of it tomorrow, Essendon has been dealt a blow, with Jobe Watson a late omission from a side already depleted by suspension to two key players.

One of the club's leading possession-winners this season, Watson adds to the Bombers' forced omissions, with Adam McPhee and Nathan Lovett-Murray both out suspended for one match.

Bombers assistant coach Gary O'Donnell last night said Watson received a knock to his back during the week and was not available for selection.

Tom Hislop replaces him in the starting 18, with elevated rookie Jarrod Atkinson, who had been omitted from the side that lost to Port Adelaide, promoted from emergency.

"(The knock) just blew up a little bit and was hindering him. It's something minor and should only keep (him) out for a week," O'Donnell said.

O'Donnell said Hislop would enjoy the "in-tight game" Sydney was likely to dish up at ANZ Stadium and hopefully would be an able replacement for Watson.

"He likes that body-on-body stuff. They're good at it, Sydney, but we beat them at the SCG last year. So we're looking forward to it."

On the positive side for the Bombers is the inclusion of experienced campaigners Dustin Fletcher, Adam Ramanauskas and Mark McVeigh, all selected along with Jason Laycock, Jason Winderlich and youngsters Sam Lonergan and Kyle Reimers.

For the Swans, the big news at the selection table was the return of Nick Malceski from a knee reconstruction only 86 days after radical surgery in which he had industrial-strength synthetic fibre inserted into his knee instead of a ligament being traditionally grafted. Luke Ablett also returns, with Ben Mathews and Ed Barlow omitted.

After Fremantle's stunning capitulation to Melbourne in round seven, the Dockers have wielded the axe, with three players getting the chop and Mark Johnson missing out through suspension for the match against the Western Bulldogs at Subiaco tomorrow.

But it was hardly a heavy-handed slash, with Daniel Gilmore, Brock O'Brien and Ryan Murphy accounting for only 76 games of experience between them.

The Dockers have been boosted with the experience of Kepler Bradley, Roger Hayden, Paul Duffield and Heath Black.

Hayden makes his return after a hamstring injury that kept him out of the Demons' clash, while Black earned a recall after improving his match fitness with South Fremantle in the WAFL. Duffield brings good midfield ball-carrying ability, which the Dockers hope will combat the Bulldogs' running game.

From the side that caused Freo so much angst, the Demons have decided defender Nathan Carroll should spend some time on the sidelines, while Paul Wheatley is out with a calf injury.

Replacing them for the clash against Adelaide is debutant Shane Valenti — elevated from the rookie list as a replacement for David Neitz — and Simon Buckley.

Whispers went around Skilled Stadium yesterday when a number of players, including Steve Johnson, trained away from the main group. But club sources last night said the training session was a "captain's day session", in which the light training run was conducted by the skipper and players chose what exercises they wished to work on.

Gary Ablett, who missed the previous round of football as well as the Hall of Fame tribute match with a calf strain, is still slightly in doubt but is expected, along with Johnson, to take the field against Richmond at the MCG today.

At Punt Road Oval, Joel Bowden is the high-profile inclusion for the Tigers. Bowden has spent time in the Coburg side adjusting his game to Richmond's faster-moving style.

"Joel's been in really good form at Coburg playing in multiple positions, playing in the midfield and playing forward," assistant coach Brian Royal said yesterday.

"We spoke to Joel four or five weeks ago about changing his role within the side."