Fletcher suffered an injury to the adductor (groin) against Collingwood and missed the Round 7 clash with Port Power.
Team manager, David Calthorpe, said the 282-game veteran will be a huge inclusion for the team.
“The fact that Dustin, and Mark McVeigh for that matter, got through a grueling training session today indicates that they will line up against Sydney,” Calthorpe said.
“He’s been one of the best defenders in the competition for the last 10-15 years and what he also brings to our young side is stability if he lines up in the backline and also some flexibility as he can go forward.”
Calthorpe said the week break had been good for the team and the return of key players is timely.
“We’ve been looking to get some experienced players back to settle some young heads and Dustin and Mark will be perfect for this,” he said.
“At certain times in games, when things aren’t going our way, you need someone to take control and those two players can provide that.”
At 199cm tall, Fletcher is a possibility to play on Sydney’s Michael O’Laughlin although - with Paddy Ryder also well suited to that job - the coaching department is keeping its cards close to their chest about what role he will play.
Calthorpe confirmed the side would look different to the extremely young side that lined up against Port.
“We have up to six guys coming off the injury list this week so there will be a few changes,” he said.
“We will inject a few players who had shown early season form and give some others a spell with Bendigo to find some touch.”
