Blues ruckman Matthew Kreuzer is in line for selection this weekend ahead of Carlton's clash against Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.
The 28-year-old has missed the past two games with a groin injury, but Head of Football Andrew McKay said he would be available for selection pending fitness tests later this week.
“Matthew Kreuzer has been training well this week, he’ll be a test at the end of the week but we’re hopeful he’ll be available for selection,” McKay said.
Defender Jacob Weitering will also be in the frame to return to the field this weekend after overcoming a quad injury.
“Jacob has been out for a couple of weeks now with that bad quad cork. He’s trained really well this week too and will be available for selection at the end of this week as well with Kreuzer,” he said.
While Marc Murphy won’t feature in the Blues’ Saturday night clash against the Crows, the captain looks likely to return to play against Essendon at the MCG in a fortnight.
“Marc is progressing with managing that plantar facia injury. He’s still one to two weeks away from returning but we’re quite hopeful he’ll be right to go against Essendon next week,” McKay said.
McKay revealed big man Matthew Lobbe would face fitness tests this week to determine his availability for selection after overcoming a hamstring injury.
“Matthew has been training well for the last couple of weeks and he’ll be a test at the end of the week to see whether he pulls up to be available or not,” he said.
David Cuningham was forced to leave the field early in the Northern Blues’ match against Port Melbourne on Saturday, with scans revealing a minor hamstring injury for the young midfielder.
“Unfortunately David hurt his hamstring in the VFL game against Port Melbourne on the weekend,” McKay said.
“It is a low-grade hamstring but it will keep him on the sidelines for the next couple of weeks.”
Meanwhile, Irish defender Ciaran Byrne has suffered a setback in his recovery from a quad injury and will now remain on the sidelines for up to six weeks, with the Club set to take a conservative approach in managing his injury.
“Unfortunately Ciaran Byrne has had a setback with that quad injury. We’re going to treat him very conservatively over the next few weeks but we’ve had to push his return-to-play date back to another six weeks,” McKay said.
Veteran Alex Silvagni will also remain on the sidelines with an achilles injury after suffering a setback last week in his return.
“Alex is still having some issues with that achilles injury. It’s progressing but we just need to be really mindful of it and we’re treating it very conservatively so he’ll be another three weeks away,” McKay said.
Tom Williamson and Cillian McDaid look likely to return to the mix within the next fortnight as they manage back and foot injuries respectively.
“Tom Williamson is progressing a bit better now. His back is improving each week now – he’s probably still another two weeks away but we’re looking forward to having Tom back,” McKay said.
“Cillian had that hotspot on his foot. It’s improving well but he’ll still be another two weeks or so away from returning to football at some level.”
INJURY LIST - MAY 1:
Matthew Kreuzer – Groin (available)
Jacob Weitering – Quad (test)
Matthew Lobbe – Hamstring (test)
Marc Murphy – Plantar fascia (1-2 weeks)
David Cuningham – Hamstring (2 weeks)
Tom Williamson – Back (2 weeks)
Cillian McDaid – Foot (2-3 weeks)
Alex Silvagni – Achilles (3 weeks)
Ciaran Byrne – Quad (6 weeks)
Jarrod Pickett – Scaphoid (7 weeks)
Sam Docherty – Knee (season)
