Carlton will have ruckman Tom De Koning and defender Caleb Marchbank available for selection ahead of their clash with Collingwood, while young midfielder Jack Carroll has suffered a setback in another injury blow for the Blues' depth.
Looking to snap a recent rut of form after claiming just one win from their past five games, Michael Voss' side is set for an enticing challenge against their arch-rivals at the MCG on Sunday.
Voss will have reinforcements at his disposal as De Koning returns from a recent head knock sustained in the VFL. After playing the opening five games of the season De Koning was demoted to the second-tier league, where he sustained an untimely concussion.
The 23-year-old has now been cleared to play two-three weeks after the setback, with Voss now needing to weigh up whether he calls on the ruck-forward to partner with Marc Pittonet this weekend.
While Voss is unlikely to make a significant change to his backline this weekend, Marchbank has recovered from a calf injury and will be in line to play, whether that be at AFL or VFL level.
Meanwhile, Carroll is facing up to a month on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring strain in Carlton VFL's practice match against the AFL Academy last Saturday.
The Western Australian has been a shining light in the Blues' VFL side this season and has managed just one appearance under Voss so far in 2023, coming into the Round 4 clash with North Melbourne as the tactical sub.
The Blues are expected to have defender Sam Durdin (hamstring) and utility David Cuningham (calf) are both expected to make returns to full training as early as next week.
Inactive pair Zac Williams (knee) and Sam Philp (foot) are the only other players currently part of the casualty ward at Ikon Park.
