Morris back for Western Bulldogs

St Kilda captain Nick Riewoldt says he would love to go war with Steven Baker, but
chances are he will not be playing an AFL final with him this season.
The feisty tagger, who has not played since his nine-match suspension against
Geelong in round 13, was again left out for Saturday night's preliminary final
against the Western Bulldogs.
The Dogs were boosted by the return from injury of valuable defender Dale Morris, in
the only change made by any of the four remaining finalists.
Collingwood overlooked veteran defender Simon Prestigiacomo for Friday night's
blockbuster against Geelong, despite the reliable stopper's recovery from a thigh
injury sustained in round 20.
The Cats could not find a spot for running defender Andrew Mackie or ruckman Mark
Blake, both regulars until they were dropped for last weekend's big semi-final win
over Fremantle.
The absences of Baker and Prestigiacomo are a bad sign for the two stalwarts'
chances of playing again this season, even if their clubs advance to the grand
final.
Though Baker could still be a late inclusion after being named as an emergency.
Having served his ban over the last nine home and away rounds, he was initially
named for the Saints' qualifying final against Geelong, before becoming a late
withdrawal with a toe injury.
Riewoldt said he and his teammates would love to have the 2005 best and fairest run
out with them.
"From a player's point of view, I have played with him my whole career and he's a
guy you'd love to go to war with," Riewoldt said.
"He would jump on a grenade for you, he's that sort of player.
"If there's a spot for him in the team he'd be welcome."
Coach Ross Lyon said Baker was a respected player, but there were risks with
recalling him for a final after a 12-week absence.
Given the risk of including him for a grand final after another week on the
sidelines would be even greater, Baker's season appears over barring a late change
on Saturday night.
Similarly, 32-year-old Prestigiacomo will struggle to make the Magpies' grand final
side, should they beat the Cats on Friday night.
Midfielder Sharrod Wellingham retained his spot, with the club confident he has
overcome an ankle injury sustained in the qualifying final thrashing of the
Bulldogs.
But despite Prestigiacomo's recovery, the Magpies stuck with 21-year-old Nathan
Brown as their fullback, with the veteran not even named as an emergency.
Mackie and Blake were both named as emergencies by the Cats.
Morris replaced bullocking forward Mitch Hahn for the Bulldogs.
His return is a huge boost, with the club initially counting him out for the rest of
the season, after he fractured a vertebrae against Sydney in round 21.
His reliability and versatility in defence will be crucial, as a possible opponent
for in-form St Kilda skipper Nick Riewoldt or one of the smaller Saints' forwards.
Morris has to get through another training session on Friday, but coach Rodney Eade
was very positive.
"He trained yesterday and got through pretty well. We did some physical work with
him and he didn't feel anything, which was good," Eade told SEN radio on Thursday.
He said defenders Brian Lake and Tom Williams and midfielder Ryan Griffen, who have
been playing with injury, were in better shape than last week.
Magpies football manager Geoff Walsh said while Prestigiacomo had trained solidly
this week, he would have had a better chance to play if the match was a day or two
later.
Walsh said while Collingwood were happy with the performance of their tall
defenders, if they reached the grand final, Prestigiacomo would be in selection
contention.