East Point's Bryson McDougall will miss Saturday's Ballarat Football League grand final on Saturday after dramatically failing a fitness test.
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He broke down at training on Thursday night with just seconds remaining in his bid to earn a recall.
It was a heartbreaking scene as an emotional McDougall walked from the Eastern Oval with coach Jake Bridges to join his teammates in the changerooms.
McDougall suffered a strained hamstring in East Point's qualifying final win over Sebastopol.
He was forced to watch the Roos get over Melton in the second semi-final and had the 2018 premiership player passed the fitness test he would have certainly been selected to face Sebastopol at Mars Stadium.
With McDougall unable to be considered, Bridges has chosen to take an unchanged side into the grand final.
This means East Point will use what has been a makeshift, but successful ruck combination against specialist Toby Thoolen.
Dallas Martin, who has been better known as a defender, has been named in the first ruck, with Mitch Walsh as back up on interchange.
Martin took on Thoolen in round 16 and shone in a decisive East Point victory.
Neither specialist ruckmen Jaykeb Lench or Paul Koderenko were able to force their way back into the side - being named emergencies. They will play in the reserves.
Lench has spent all season in the senior side, but a leg injury forced him out of the second semi-final.
Martin, Walsh and Van Meel shared the ruck workload against Melton, taking the points.
Bridges is likely to be less keen to take Van Meel away from a key defensive role given the potency of the Sebastopol attack.
MEANWHILE, it is finally official.
Brett Goodes and James Keeble will line up for Sebastopol against East Point in the Ballarat Football League grand final at Mars Stadium on Saturday.
Goodes is back after missing two finals with a calf strain.
Keeble will play in his first final after missing three games with a hamstring strain sustained in the last home and away round.
The fitness of Goodes and Keeble has been a major talking point of the BFL finals series. Sebastopol captain Tom Petersen confirmed midweek that the duo were ready to go.
Goodes' selection is a fitting reward for the former Western Bulldogs AFL player.
A mature recruit for the Bulldogs, he joined Sebastopol in 2016 while it was battling at the bottom of the BFL and has been an intregal part of the Burra's rise despite battling injury on and off over the past two seasons.
Jordan Gercovich, who was left out of the preliminary final side, also earned a recall as Sebastopol made three changes. He has been named on interchange.
With Goodes, Keeble and Gercovich returning, there was always going to heartache for those who missed out.
Jai Harvey, Brad Weightman and Dayne Furness are the luckless trio who have been left out after being part of the side which defeated Melton in the preliminary final.
Weightman was a late inclusion for the first semi-final against Redan, while Furness was a late inclusion for Marshall Cain in the preliminary final. Cain was unable to force his way back into the side.
Sebastopol trained in front of dozens of supporters at Marty Busch Reserve on Thursday night among an abundance of blue and gold.
Fans waved flags, while one arrived in his utility, which showed off the club's jumper design on the bonnet and suitably carried Burra branding.
Some older supporters reflected on Sebastopol's last BFL grand final appearance in 2000 and even further back to the Burra's last senior football premiership in the Ballarat District and Bacchus Marsh league in 1975.
SELECTED SIDES
SENIORS
EAST POINT v. SEBASTOPOL
East Point
B: Joel Mahar, Jesse Baird, Daniel Tung
HB: Drew Murphy, Joel Van Meel, Lucas Dahlenburg
C: Daniel Semmens, Matthew Johnston, Billy Jones
HF: Clay Bilney, Brad Whittaker, Cameron Lovig
F: Jordan Johnston, Jake McQueen, Mitchell Tuddenham
R: Dallas Martin, Jacob Brown, Mickitja Rotumah-Onus
Int: Jordan Taylor, Chris Carson, Aden Nestor, Mitchell Walsh
Emg: Paul Koderenko, Jaykeb Lench, Isaac Quick, Joseph Dodd
No change
Sebastopol
B: Benjamin Trew, Grady Snowden, Hugo Papst
HB: Jacob Wilkinson, Tony Lockyer, Tom Petersen
C: Chase Dummett, Lachlan Cassidy, Ryan Noether
HF: Brett Goodes, Toby Hutt, Geoffrey Lovett
F: Michael Powell, James Keeble, Matt Austin
R: Tobias Thoolen, Luke Kiel, Daniel Widgery
Int: Simon Butler, Jordan Gercovich, Sam Jenkins, Ben Hutt
Emg: Jai Harvey, Bradley Weightman, Marshall Cain
In: Brett Goodes, James Keeble, Jordan Gercovich
Out: Dayne Furness, Jai Harvey, Bradley Weightman
RESERVES
SUNBURY v. EAST POINT
Sunbury
B: Joshua Muir, Sam Hogan, Bradley Mundy
HB: Harry Power, Ben Brennan, Nathan Bridgland
C: Christopher Lucas, Jake Johnson, James Rizk
HF: Daniel Jurczyluc, Jacob Bygate, Jiaya Mitchell
F: Ben Guthrie, Andrew Gilbertson, William Healy
R: Trent Luke Stead, Mitchell Trimboli, Timothy Hill
Int: Roger Allen, Jack O'Leary, Dwain Sanderson, Corey Hansen
Emg: Mitchell Pearce, Dylan Caruana, Daniel Nutt, Tomas Stefaniw
No change
East Point
B: Ryan Walsh, Joel Gallagher, Ethan Lawler
HB: Andrew Maconachie, Isaac Quick, Jeremy Learmonth
C: Rhys Monument, Joseph Dodd, Brent Fitzpatrick
HF: Andrew Stevenson, Jaykeb Lench, Bailey Medwell
F: Christopher Quinlan, Chris Banwell, Brodie Murphy
R: Paul Koderenko, Lachlan Thornton, James Park
Int: Thomas Whittington, Tom Walton, Nicholas Canny, Jethro Kirby
Emg: James Lewis, Liam Gunn, Jaime Tung, William Petrowski
In: Paul Koderenko, Joel Gallagher, Jaykeb Lench
Out: Steven Tung, Jack McClure, Jordan Taylor
UNDER-19
NORTH BALLARAT CITY v. REDAN
North Ballarat City
B: Broden Haintz, Jarrod Curran, Ryan Polkinghorne
HB: William Peucker, Ryan Wood, Lachlan Becker
C: Lachlan O'Keefe, Dylan Graham, Riley O'Keefe
HF: James Curran, Matthew Aikman, Mitchell McKee
F: Sam Bowen, Charlie Perks, Lachlan Opie
R: Isaac Pertzel, Harrison Mulcahy, Alexander Kirby
Int: Fletcher Loader, Fletcher Toose, Riely Ranieri, Charles Patterson
Emg: George Simpson, Liam Wood, Isaac Carey
In: Fletcher Toose, Charlie Perks
Redan
B: Sam McDougall, Owen Davidson, Rhys Elliott
HB: Myles King, Nicholas Vincent, Ryan Thiesz
C: Ethan Tebble, Elijah Kelly, Harry Twaits
HF: Kayne Councillor, Declan Murphy, Jack Jones
F: Finn Lappin, Monty Judd, Dennis Coolwell
R: Patrick Stephenson, Ryan Jerera, Liam Phillips
Int: Mick Derrick, Jack Richards, Sam Cole, Zach Forbes, Hamish Britt, Tyrese Thompson
In: Tyrese Thompson, Hamish Britt