Jarrad Waite, Andrew Walker and Nick Duigan will also return to the line-up for the first time this year.
Unfortunately Mitch Robinson, who was due to return to the team for his first official match of 2012, was ruled out of the side after suffering stiffness in his back at training on Wednesday. Mitch has completed all the pre-season training and was scheduled to play the next two NAB Cup matches in his preparation for the opening round of the season.
General Manager Football Operations Andrew McKay confirmed Robinson would miss this week’s game.
“He was stiff in the back after training yesterday (Wednesday) and we didn’t want to take a risk with him, particularly as we have a two hour flight on Friday and then on Saturday after the game a bus trip to Brisbane and another two hour flight,” McKay told CFC TV.
“He will have precautionary scans today to find out if there is an injury and we are obviously hopeful that the scans will be all clear,” he added.
On another positive note, Nick Heyne, who joined Carlton via the Rookie Draft in December last year, will make his Carlton debut on Saturday. Nick played his junior football at Orbost-Snowy Rovers and the Gippsland Under 18s before being drafted by St Kilda with selection 48 in the 2008 National Draft. He played three games for St Kilda in 2010.
Carlton’s first selection in last year’s National Draft, Josh Bootsma, is also in the team for Saturday. He made his Carlton debut in Adelaide in round one of the NAB Cup and was rested last Sunday against the Western Bulldogs.
After playing in the first two rounds, reigning John Nicholls medal winner Marc Muphy will be rested, along with teammates Bryce Gibbs, Andrew Carrazzo, Eddie Betts and Kade Simpson.
Senior Coach Brett Ratten said the plan was always to ensure that most players would play at least one or two NAB Cup games.
“Right now it is all about practicing our structures and preparing for the season ahead, so it is great to have these senior guys back in the team so we can give the other boys who have had big pre-seasons a bit of a rest before Round one,” he said.
“It also gives an opportunity for some of the younger boys to have a hit-out at AFL level, which is a really valuable experience so early in their careers.”
In the Club’s first visit to the Sunshine Coast, the match has been sold out for nearly two weeks and will be the highlight of Carlton’s visit to the area.
The team will arrive from Melbourne tomorrow morning and will hold an open training session at the Maroochydore Multi Sports Complex at 4:00pm.
The match will then be streamed live from Maroochydore via CFC TV, beginning at 3:30pm (4:30pm Vic time), with game commencing at 3:40pm (4:40 Vic time) exclusively on carltonfc.com.au.
Carlton's NAB Cup round 3 squad:
1 ANDREW WALKER
2 JORDAN RUSSELL
5 CHRIS JUDD
9 KANE LUCAS
10 MATTHEW WATSON
13 CHRIS YARRAN
14 BROCK MCLEAN
16 ANDREW COLLINS
17 SAM ROWE
18 PAUL BOWER
21 JOSH BOOTSMA
22 SHAUN HAMPSON
24 PATRICK MCCARTHY
27 DENNIS ARMFIELD
30 JARRAD WAITE
31 MARCUS DAVIES
32 BRET THORNTON
34 NICK DUIGAN
35 ED CURNOW
36 ROHAN KERR
37 NICK HEYNE
41 LEVI CASBOULT
42 ZACH TUOHY
45 AARON JOSEPH
46 DAVID ELLARD
47 MITCHELL CARTER
