Essendon has made four changes for Dreamtime at the G on Friday night, with Ben McKay earning a recall alongside Jade Gresham, Matt Guelfi and Tom Edwards. Nik Cox, Will Setterfield and Jayden Nguyen were dropped, while Peter Wright was shelved because of a knee injury.
Richmond named a full squad of 26 players for the clash, with Mykelti Lefau back after being managed against St Kilda and Jasper Alger straight back into the senior side in place of Liam Fawcett. Campbell Gray came out because of a hamstring injury, leaving Richmond with one of the more stable lineups among the afl teams round 11 2026 selections.
Fremantle will be without Caleb Serong on Friday night after the midfielder suffered a calf injury last Sunday, and Corey Wagner has taken his place. The absence removes one of the Dockers’ most important ball-winners at a time when teams are still trying to settle after a busy run of selection calls across the competition.
St Kilda’s only confirmed change was the return of Mason Wood after Jack Higgins underwent minor knee surgery on Wednesday. Gold Coast also reshuffled its side for the trip to Melbourne, with Lachie Weller and Will Graham out and Ben Long and Sam Clohesy back in, while Jarrod Witts held his place after returning last week as a late inclusion for Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, who was not named to return.
North Melbourne made one change after its heavy loss to the Crows last Saturday, recalling Riley Hardeman in place of Tom Blamires. Geelong was unchanged for its Saturday twilight game against Sydney, where the Swans made two changes of their own by dropping Harry Cunningham and Billy Cootee for the trip to Kardinia Park.
Collingwood received a major boost with Darcy Moore, Pat Lipinski and Tim Darcy Cameron all back after concussion recoveries and training this week. Oscar Steene, Jack Buller, Wil Parker and Angus Anderson came out, giving the Magpies four crucial inclusions for a match that will also mark Scott Pendlebury’s record-breaking outing on Saturday.
Waalitj-Marawar welcomed Bo Allan back after multiple weeks out, with Jack Hutchinson injured and replaced by the returning defender. Cooper Duff-Tytler missed out on a recall after being rested against the Giants, while Jack Williams held his spot. Carlton’s opponent will also be missing Lachie Jones after he sustained a concussion against the Suns last Saturday, a reminder that selection for round 11 is being shaped as much by medical checks as by form.
The round is being defined by absences as much as returns, with clubs balancing injury management, concussion protocols and the need to keep lineups stable across a crowded fixture. By the time the ball is bounced from Friday night into Saturday twilight, the changes will have done more than fill team sheets — they will shape several of the weekend’s biggest matchups.
