Carlton Football Club named Jacob Weitering and Blake Acres as inclusions for Friday night’s Round 12 clash against Geelong, with the game set to begin at 7:40pm at the MCG. The Blues also marked their 10th anniversary flagship community initiative in orange on a night built around the Carlton Respects message.
Weitering returned after missing the win over Port Adelaide because of a calf injury, while Blake Acres came in on the wing after Matthew Carroll was ruled out with a knee injury. Wade Derksen was omitted, and Hudson O'Keeffe and Zac Williams were named as emergencies alongside him. Ash Hansen confirmed the team to Carlton Media ahead of the match.
Acres’ recall came with a case already made on form. In 2026, he averaged more than 27 disposals across his last five games for the Carlton Reserves and kicked six goals in four games, which kept him in the mix even after he had been the Blues’ holdover emergency last weekend. Carlton’s backline has also gone into the game on the back of a useful stretch, having conceded its two lowest scores of the season over the previous fortnight.
The selection call came as the club’s broader football picture remained in motion. Chris Davies also outlined how Carlton would go about appointing its next AFL senior coach, adding another layer to a week that mixed immediate team changes with longer-term planning. For the Carlton Football Club, Friday night was about more than a one-off selection call: it was a test of a defence in form, a chance for Weitering to resume his place, and a stage for the club’s flagship community round to carry its weight in front of a major MCG crowd.
Mimi Hill had helped set the tone earlier in the week when she joined Andy Maher and Andrew Gaze on The Run Home ahead of the 10th edition of Carlton Respects, while Amanda delivered her story to players and staff to underline why the round matters and why the club keeps putting family violence prevention at its centre.
