Geelong will welcome back All-Australian midfielder Cam Guthrie from a shoulder injury for their AFL blockbuster against the Western Bulldogs on Friday night.
Guthrie replaces experienced Cats recruit Shaun Higgins (managed), while the Bulldogs are unchanged for the top-four showdown at GMHBA Stadium.
Former Dogs captain Easton Wood has been named as an emergency.
Ex-Carlton skipper Marc Murphy is a high-profile selection casualty, dropped for Saturday night's clash with GWS at Giants Stadium as he chases the 300-game milestone.
Lachie Fogarty, Matthew Kennedy and first-year Blue Luke Parks have been recalled.
The Giants have lost ruckman Shane Mumford to a back injury, but experienced defender Phil Davis returns after 11 weeks out with a calf injury.
Davis looms as a likely opponent for Coleman Medal leader Harry McKay.
"Phil's put together a nice block of training and having got through a reserves match last week, we feel he's ready to step up and help us against a really dangerous Carlton forward line," GWS coach Leon Cameron said.
Port Adelaide have regained Scott Lycett for their encounter with Gold Coast after the ruckman served a four-match ban for his dangerous tackle on Adelaide's Ned McHenry.
The Suns welcome back key defender Sam Collins and Sam Day for Saturday's Metricon Stadium clash.
North Melbourne will be bolstered by the return of best-and-fairest winner Luke McDonald for Saturday's meeting with Brisbane as they look to climb off the bottom of the ladder.
McDonald has managed just one match this season, having torn a pectoral muscle on his comeback after a quadriceps injury in round four.
The 26-year-old vice-captain will be a welcome inclusion against fourth-placed Lions at Hobart's Blundstone Arena.
"Luke's worked his backside off to get to a point where we got clarity from the surgeons last week and got the all-clear," Kangaroos coach David Noble said.
"His loads are really good ... so our expectation is that he comes back into the team this week."
The Lions have recalled Irish speedster James Madden, with Ryan Lester (hamstring) and Dayne Zorko (suspension) unavailable.
Seeking to keep their slim finals hopes alive, Essendon have made five changes for Sunday's meeting with traditional rivals Hawthorn at Launceston's UTAS Stadium.
Andy McGrath, David Zaharakis and Alec Waterman are all injured, Mason Redman has been managed and Patrick Ambrose has been dropped.
Former best-and-fairest Devon Smith, key forward Peter Wright and ruckman Sam Draper are among the inclusions.
Hawthorn will hand midfielder Lachlan Bramble his debut and have recalled James Cousins after losing lost James Worpel (suspension) and Harry Morrison (hamstring).
Bramble, from the Hawks' VFL affiliate Box Hill, will be the club's seventh senior debutant this season.
"Lachlan entered our program at the start of March via the pre-season supplemental selection period and he's been able to make some really strong progression in a short amount of time," Hawks football boss Rob McCartney said.
Australian Associated Press
