A NUMBER of Blues are in line to return to the side this week when Carlton faces the Western Bulldogs under Friday night lights at Etihad Stadium.
Matthew Kreuzer, Jacob Weitering and Matthew Kennedy will all face fitness testing this week to determine their availability ahead of the Round 6 clash on Friday evening.
“Matthew Kreuzer is progressing along well with that groin from last week. He’ll be a test at the end of this week, we just have to make sure he ticks all the boxes before he’ll be available to play,” Head of Football Andrew McKay said.
“Jacob Weitering missed last weeks game with a corked thigh. It was quite a severe cork, he’ll be a test at the end of the week to see whether he’s going to be available or not.
“Matthew Kennedy has been out for a little while with an ankle now. He’s been training fully and we’re confident he’ll be ok, but he obviously needs to get through training and have a test at the end of the week to make sure he available to play.”
Head of Football Andrew McKay also revealed 21-year-old defender Caleb Marchbank may also be a surprise return to the side, after making a quicker-than-expected recovery from an ankle injury.
“Caleb Marchbank has been out for a couple of weeks with an ankle injury. It’s progressed really well over the last week so he’ll be a test at the end of this week,” he said on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, fellow defender Cam O’Shea will be tested this week after he required a number of stitches in his chin after a head collision with teammate Lochie O’Brien in the fourth quarter against West Coast last weekend.
“Cam O’Shea got a head knock in the game against West Coast on the weekend. He split his chin open and had to have a number of stitches in that chin,” McKay said.
“He’ll go through the relevant testing during the week but we’re confident that he’ll get up for this week’s game.”
Experienced defender Alex Silvagni has suffered a slight setback in his return from injury, with his achilles flaring up over recent days. Irishman Ciaran Byrne is another week away from making his return to football as he overcomes a quad injury.
“Alex Silvagni has been out for a couple of weeks now with a hamstring injury. That seems to be fully recovered but he did stir up his achilles late last week so we just need to make sure that’s settled down by the end of the week before he’ll be available for selection,” he said.
“Ciaran Byrne has a strained quad muscle and has been out for a couple of weeks. He won’t be ready to play this week but we’re hopeful he’ll be a test for next week.”
Captain Marc Murphy continues in his recovery from a plantar facia injury, while Matthew Lobbe (hamstring) looks likely to be another fortnight away from making his return to the field.
“Marc Murphy obviously hurt the plantar fascia in his foot a couple of weeks ago. He’s probably still three weeks away, so still some time before Marc’s back,” McKay said.
“Matthew Lobbe strained his hamstring a week or so ago. It’s progressing along well, but he’ll still be a couple of weeks away.”
INJURY LIST:
Cam O’Shea (head) – test
Matthew Kreuzer (groin) – test
Matthew Kennedy (ankle) - test
Jacob Weitering (quad) – test
Caleb Marchbank (ankle) – test
Alex Silvagni (achilles) – test
Ciaran Byrne (quad) – 1 week
Matthew Lobbe (hamstring) – 2 weeks
Marc Murphy (plantar fascia) – 3 weeks
Tom Williamson (back) – 3 weeks
Cillian McDaid (foot) – 3-4 weeks
Jarrod Pickett (wrist) – 8 weeks
Sam Docherty (knee) – season
