Sydney's grand final selection demons reared their ugly head once again as key forward Logan McDonald was subbed out of the match at half-time.
McDonald rolled his ankle during the side's preliminary final win and was pulled from the match, with fears that he would miss the decider, a fate he lived in 2022.
Despite training throughout the week, reports indicated that the young Swan failed to train in Friday's captain's run but was deemed fit by the medical staff.
McDonald was the heartbreak story of the 2022 grand final against Geelong, with coach John Longmire opting to play the hampered Sam Reid (adductor) and Hayden McLean in his place.
Early in that clash, Reid looked underdone from the first contest as the Swans were thrashed by 81 points.
In the 2024 edition, Sydney trailed by 46 points to Brisbane when McDonald was pulled from the game, with the club confirming an ankle concern.
The 22-year-old finished the game with one kick and a mark, failing to make an impact in the contest.
The risky call was made to keep McDonald in the side but not include captain Callum Mills, who had passed all necessary fitness tests during the week after injuring his hamstring following the qualifying final win over GWS three weeks ago.
Sydney made the tough call to exclude the skipper from the side.