Essendon have called on Aaron Francis to replace injured forward Mitch Brown and have also regained Orazio Fantasia for their AFL clash with Geelong at the MCG.
Brown fractured a wrist in the gut-wrenching Anzac Day loss to Collingwood, a match that Fantasia missed with a virus.
Francis started the season as a defender but has been recast as a forward and gets his first chance at senior level this campaign to show what he can do inside attacking 50.
David Myers was the other player to make way, the midfielder managed.
The ladder-leading Cats made one change, replacing Charlie Constable with Jordan Clark for Sunday’s game.
North Melbourne coach Brad Scott has lost patience with his underperforming side, with four unforced changes made for their encounter with Carlton.
Luke Davies-Uniacke, Sam Wright, Aaron Hall and Nathan Hrovat were all dropped for the Marvel Stadium game, with Shaun Higgins, Marley Williams, Taylor Garner and Jy Simpkin into the team.
The Blues paid a heavy price for their heartbreaking loss to Hawthorn in Launceston with Kade Simpson, Mitch McGovern, Nic Newman and Matthew Kreuzer all injured.
Young star Charlie Curnow is back from knee soreness, with Andrew Phillips, Tom Williamson and Liam Stocker, who will debut, also in.
Adelaide regained Bryce Gibbs from a bout of gastro for their clash with Fremantle at Adelaide Oval in Sunday’s late game, with the Dockers sticking with the same 22 that defeated the Western Bulldogs.