Star duo Phil Davis and Josh Kelly have been ruled out of the GWS Giants' return to Canberra in a cruel blow for the club.
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Davis has failed to overcome the ankle injury he picked up a fortnight ago while Kelly has picked up an adductor complaint.
![GWS Giants captain Phil Davis has been ruled out of this week's clash. GWS Giants captain Phil Davis has been ruled out of this week's clash.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-feed-data/6e1318cb-174b-4f76-90b8-7384c12b341b.jpg/r121_20_800_440_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Giants coach Leon Cameron has drafted Jackson Hately and Matt Buntine into the side to meet St Kilda at Manuka Oval on Saturday.
Davis and Kelly were on light duties during Friday's training session and were late withdrawals after failing to prove themselves fit.
Stephen Coniglio is set to assume the captaincy role in Davis' absence after he got through training with a protective glove on his right hand.
While one hometown hero will be missing in Canberra, another one is set to play - albeit one in opposition colours.
St Kilda coach Alan Richardson has declared forward Josh Bruce is fit and firing ahead of a homecoming showdown against his former club.
![Josh Bruce is set to be fit for a clash with the Giants. Picture: AAP Image/Daniel Pockett Josh Bruce is set to be fit for a clash with the Giants. Picture: AAP Image/Daniel Pockett](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/fdcx/doc7503mdhtbd11f6hk4d1c.jpg/r0_148_4433_2650_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Canberra product has been managing a niggling cork but looks set to take his place in the Saints' forward line for a clash with the GWS Giants at Manuka Oval on Saturday.
St Kilda coach Alan Richardson concedes selecting the key forward in last week's defeat at the hands of Adelaide was a mistake after Bruce was kept goalless.
But the Saints mentor says Bruce is ready to go this week as he and teammate Jack Steele return to the city which kickstarted their football careers.
"Brucey probably wasn't at his best physically last week, he did a good job to put his hand up, [but] in hindsight, probably my call in terms of playing him," Richardson said.
"If I had my time again I probably wouldn't [have played Bruce].
"But now that it's been two weeks [since suffering a cork in round five], he's fine, he'll want to play well against his former team.
"We just got that one wrong last week. We rolled the dice. Corkies are something that gradually get better, we thought he was getting better.
"He started the game really well, he wasn't able to finish the game as strongly, but that was my call, not his. I'll accept that one."
St Kilda will be without Jack Steven as he steps away from the game to deal with mental health issues that have left Richardson unsure of when he will return.
The 29-year-old has taken indefinite leave for the second time this year with the football community rallying around the Saints star to help him through the ordeal.
"I really can't tell you, this is one of those unknowns," Richardson said.
"We're hopeful that he will come back and play, and he really wants to come back and play, but primarily we've got to make sure that we get him right and we don't know how long that will take.
"We can't really put a time-line on things, it will be when he's right to come back and play.
"We'll just support him now. All the way through Jack has struggled to present himself in a manner both to train and then to play.
"He's an exceptional footballer so he's been able to perform at a reasonable level, in fact he was quite impressive last weekend, but just the whole commitment to footy and to be at the footy club all the time was a bit much for him.
"We thought, and his experts thought, that playing footy would be the right thing to do so that was the avenue we down but now clearly having a break, and it may be an extended break, is the right way to go."