Young defender Caleb Marchbank is in the frame to return to the senior line-up for this weekend's clash against Geelong at Etihad Stadium.

The 20-year-old has been sidelined since the Round 15 match against Adelaide with a hairline fracture of his shoulder.

“Caleb has been out for quite some time with that shoulder injury but he’s progressed really well in the past two weeks,” Head of Football Andrew McKay said. 

“He was close to selection last week, but he’ll be a test at the end of the week to see if he can get up to play.” 

Fellow defenders Simon White and Ciaran Byrne are also likely to be available for selection ahead of Saturday night’s clash. 

“Simon has recovered really well and progressed really quickly in the past couple of weeks so he will be a test at the end of this week to determine whether he can play or not,” he said. 

“Ciaran hurt his groin two weeks ago and obviously missed out last week. He will be a test at the end of the week, but we expect him to be available to play at some level.” 

Youngsters Cameron Polson and Patrick Kerr have been ruled out for the remainder of the year after season-ending surgeries.

“Patrick has had some aggravation in his hip and we saw the specialist last week. He’ll have that operated on which unfortunately means he will be out for the remainder of the season,” he said.

“Cameron has been having trouble with his shoulder over the past month or so. He saw the specialists last week and went in for an operation which will also rule him out for the rest of the season."

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