THE PREMIERSHIP dream of Sydney Swans' defender Aliir Aliir has ended in heartbreak after he was ruled out of Saturday's Grand Final with a right knee injury.
Aliir suffered a low-grade medial strain late in the first quarter of Friday night's preliminary final win over Geelong, and failed to get through Wednesday's training session.
The 22-year-old had been one of the stories of the season, cementing his place in the team after making his debut in round six, and has not missed a game since round 16.
Sydney Swans football manager Tom Harley told the Swans' website Aliir had been ruled out.
"Aliir has done all he could to give himself a chance to play on Saturday. Unfortunately he was unable to complete training and therefore can’t be considered for selection this week." Harley said.
"It’s always a tough situation for players facing some uncertainty over their fitness ahead of a game. Aliir is a young man of outstanding character and a bright future and he will be supporting the team on the weekend."
In better news for the Swans, co-captain Jarrad McVeigh and Rising Star winner Callum Mills completed what was required of them at Wednesday’s session as they battle to overcome soft tissue injuries in time for the Grand Final.
