There will be no showdown between the McGovern brothers on Sunday after both West Coast star Jeremy and Carlton forward Mitch failed to earn recalls.
Eagles coach Adam Simpson had been hopeful Jeremy McGovern would be able to return from a broken thumb, while Mitch McGovern was expected to return from a hamstring injury.
But both players were notable absentees when the teams were released on Saturday night.
West Coast have recalled midfielder Jack Redden (quad) and Josh Rotham in place of Harry Edwards (concussion) and Brayden Ainsworth (dropped).
The Blues will be without injured forwards Harry McKay (knee soreness) and David Cuningham (calf), while Callum Moore was axed.
Matt Cottrell – the grandson of former Blue Len Cottrell – will make his debut, while Zac Fisher is back for his first game since round one.
Tom De Koning has also been named.
Meanwhile, Simpson is confident his team won’t be too top-heavy in the forecast wet and windy conditions.
Up to 35mm of rain is forecast for Perth on Sunday, as well as possible storms.
That’s bad news for the Eagles, who have struggled in wet or dewy conditions in the past.
West Coast feature one of the tallest forward lines in the competition.
Josh Kennedy (196cm) and Jack Darling (191cm) are the two main targets, with help from Oscar Allen (194cm) and Jake Waterman (192cm).
The combination has worked well in recent weeks, helping West Coast post five consecutive wins.
But whether it will succeed in the wet remains to be seen.
Simpson has left the door slightly ajar to make a late change to the team, but he doesn’t think having four tall forwards will be a problem.
“We’ve got reasonable size, but they’re pretty well equipped in the wet we think,” Simpson said ahead of the clash at Optus Stadium.
“They’re not exactly 200cm-type players. Oscar Allen is our second ruck and he’s our third tall forward for us, and Jake Waterman is 191cm, so they’re more utilities than talls.
“We think we’ve got the balance to get it done in the wet, but we’ll wait and see on the day. At the moment we’ll back in what we’ve got.”
Carlton coach David Teague is embracing the forecast wet weather.
“I have to admit our boys like it,” Teague said.
“We do love playing in the wet.
“We have adapted reasonably well in the past, and if it’s wet this week, then we need to make sure we adapt and we put our head over the ball and get the ball going our way.”
