Carlton key man close to return
STAR Carlton defender Jacob Weitering is a chance to return for a blockbuster duel against St Kilda spearhead Max King, with the club yet to rule him out for Friday night’s clash.
The Blues’ vice-captain injured his AC joint at the end of May against Collingwood and has missed the past three games since undergoing surgery.
Weitering’s absence has tested Carlton’s depleted key defender stocks after Liam Jones’ retirement due to the AFL’S vaccination mandate, and injuries to swingman Mitch Mcgovern and midseason draftee Sam Durdin.
While coach Michael Voss conceded it was “more realistic” that he would return next week against West Coast, Weitering could line up at Marvel Stadium on Friday if he pulled through training well.
“We’ll have a good look at him today, he’s going to complete training as normal,” Voss said on Wednesday.
“If he gets through well, then he’ll be available. But it’s still unlikely, probably more realistic for next week.”
Voss said the dangerous presence of King, who has kicked 35 goals so far this season, would not factor into the club’s decision about whether to play Weitering.
“The real clarity that we’ve given him is he has to be fit and available to be able to fully function. When he’s gone away and had surgery and come back, you want to know that he’s come back with full strength,” Voss said.
“I’ve purely left it in his court, there’s certainly nothing from us. We want a fit player.”
But Voss was quick to praise the work of his available defenders after the team’s commanding 31-point win against flag fancy Fremantle last week.
“Certainly the players who have been in there were exceptional last week,” he said.
“I can’t fault them in the way they went about it. As a back six or seven, they’ve held up really well.”
In some welcome injury news for the Blues, Voss expected prized off-season recruit Adam Cerra to play against the Saints after missing the past two games due to hamstring tightness.
But he confirmed that livewire small forward Jack Martin would again be sidelined as he continued to battle a calf injury. Fellow small forward Matt Owies remains a test after missing last week’s game due to calf tightness.