EXPERIENCED defender Oli Tate and onballer Nick Rippon are handy inclusions for North Ballarat Roosters for their VFL elimination final against Werribee on Sunday.
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Tate is one of a few on-field leaders to have played Victorian Football League finals.
His disciplined approach to his game helps steady the Selkirk Roosters and will be important against Werribee's strong forward lines.
Rippon, a second-year Rooster, has developed into a key ball winner and highly effective kicker.
He is no stranger to finals football. Rippon graduated from a rampant North Ballarat Rebels outfit in the TAC Cup that dominated competition and reached the preliminary final two years ago.
Tate and Rippon were named in selections on Thursday night, each cleared to return from injury niggles Tate a hamstring, Rippon a calf after a solid training session on Wednesday night. Like all players, their final check-off will be after training on Friday night.
They return to the line-up with North Melbourne-listed forward Robin Nahas, who the Kangaroos confirmed as a starter earlier this week.
Kangaroos defender Joel Tippett, however, remains sidelined with knee soreness.
The Roosters have an extended bench ahead of the Sunday final.
So too has Werribee, naming 31 players, but the Tigers will sport a team in the development league finals series.
Roosters midfielder James Tsitas will play under the VFL's 23rd man rule which, with a maximum of three games per player, is reset for finals.
The Roosters and Werribee have met once this season a 22-point Tigers win at Chirnside Park.
This game will be at North Port Oval.