The teams are in for the 2023 Smithy’s VFL Grand Final.

Gold Coast Suns captain James Tsitas is one of the hard luck stories of the Smithy’s VFL Grand Final after being ruled out of the decider through suspension.

Tsitas was offered a one-match suspension for striking Box Hill Hawks forward Jacob Koschitzke in last week’s preliminary final victory and was unsuccessful in overturning the ban at the tribunal on Tuesday and on appeal on Thursday.

The suspension means the Suns enter the premiership decider without their most experienced Grand Final player.

Tsitas played in back-to-back SANFL premierships for Woodville-West Torrens in 2020-21 and a NTFL flag with Nightcliff in 2020.

He will miss out on the chance to lead Gold Coast onto the field for what would have been his first VFL decider after 126 matches for the Suns, Geelong and Northern Blues.

Tsitas’ suspension means prodigiously talented 16-year-old Leonardo Lombard will play in the Grand Final alongside fellow Academy products Jared Eckersley and Campbell Lake.

Gold Coast has had the luxury of recalling joint Frosty Miller medallist Brodie McLaughlin after he was a late withdrawal last week, while Jake Stein has made a remarkable recovery from what was first reported as a four-week knee injury to take his place in the team.

Nick Williams, 19, the Academy graduate who came in for McLaughlin last week, is the other unlucky Sun, dropping back to the emergency list after playing five games this year.

Young Tiger Matthew Keast is the unlucky player at Werribee after utility Keegan Gray forced his way back into the team for the biggest game of the season.

Keast, 21, has played 16 matches this season for a total of 27 but was forced to sit out the last quarter of the preliminary final win over Brisbane Lions with ice on his lower back.

Gray, 28, is the beneficiary after himself being dropped for that game.

Keast has still been named as an emergency, which suggests how close he was.

Interestingly for the Tigers, 2022’s breakout ruckman Sam Conway has been picked in the emergency list despite not playing a game this year due to injury.

BROADCAST: The 2023 Smithy’s VFL Grand Final will be broadcast live and free on the Seven Network via Channel 7 in Victoria and 7plus nationally. The match will also be streamed live and free on AFL.com.au and the AFL Live Official App. Casey Radio 97.7FM will also provide a radio broadcast.

TICKETING: For the 2023 Smithy’s VFL Grand Final admission prices will be adults $20, concession/pensioners $15 and children under 15 free. Tickets should be pre-purchased at www.intix.com.au/org/vfl. Spectators purchasing at the gate are advised the payment method is EFTPOS only.

GOLD COAST SUNS vs WERRIBEE

Grand Final
Sunday 24 September, 3:10pm, IKON Park
Head-to-head: Gold Coast Suns 2-1-1; At IKON Park: Never Met; Streak: Werribee 1

GOLD COAST SUNS
B: J. Stein (42), C. Graham (46), B. Uwland (32)
HB: L. Johnston (38), J. Farrar (50), J. Jeffrey (40)
C: J. Sharp (20), C. Constable (33), O. Faulkhead (37)
HF: H. Oea (47), B. McLaughlin (43), A. Sexton (6)
F: M. Chol (1), S. Day (12), C. Burgess (29)
R: N. Moyle (49), A. Davies (5), C. Blakely (26)
INT: J. Eckersley (56), L. Lombard (54), C. Lake (61)*, S. Brock (45), E. Hollands (36)
EMG: F. Hay (62), N. Williams (57), W. Derrington (58), T. Dawson (55), J. Young (53), M. Corbett (60), C. Harrington (52), B. O'Brien (51)

IN: B. McLaughlin, J. Stein
OUT: J. Tsitas (suspended), N. Williams

WERRIBEE
B: J. Clark (27), N. Cooper (18), L. Pinnuck (9)
HB: M. Sodomaco (3), N. Coughlan (5), S. Clohesy (35)
C: K. Declase (15), T. Gribble (4), B. Malual (22)
HF: S. Mannagh (6), H. Garoni (1), J. Henderson (8)
F: N. Lever (28), S. Paea (32), N. Hayes (7)
R: K. Annand (36), M. Hanson (11), D. Brew (29)
INT: J. Porter (21), W. Lual (12), K. Gray (13), L. Rocci (30), C. Thar (45)
EMG: B. Henderson (2), H. Grintell (16), M. Keast (57), J. Boyd (10), C. McLeod (31), E. Ajang (39), S. Azzi (19), S. Conway (50)

IN: K. Gray
OUT: M. Keast

UMPIRES

FIELD: 8.Nick Scott, 18.Jack Howard, 27.Nick Jankovskis. Emergency: 34.Joel Clamp
BOUNDARY: Blake Anderson, Anthony Laughton, Lachlan Menara, Will Morris
GOAL: Luke Monea, John Varker. Emergency: James Rizio.