Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Highly rated Carlton draftees Harry Dean and Jagga Smith will make their AFL debuts in the season opener, with Jacob Weitering also likely to play against Sydney.
Weitering’s likely return would mean his marquee match-up on former teammate Charlie Curnow, the two-time Coleman Medallist who left the Blues after last season and will make his Swans debut.
Coach Michael Voss said there could be as many as 11 changes to their team from the end of last season.
While Weitering still had to prove his fitness at Tuesday morning training, Voss was bullish before the session about his key defender being ready for Thursday night at the SCG.
Dean is the son of Carlton great Peter Dean, who was hospitalised last month after an alleged assault in rural Albury. Voss expects Dean to be at the SCG to watch his son’s debut.
Smith, taken at No.3 in the 2024 draft, had his much-anticipated debut delayed by a year after a knee reconstruction.
He has shown excellent pre-season form, further raising excitement among the Blues faithful about his vast potential.
Former Sydney players Ollie Florent and Will Hayward will also make Carlton debuts at their old home, with the teams to be confirmed on Wednesday.
“We do have some debutants – it might surprise you, the first one, Jagga got a game,” Voss said with a wry grin before training.
“Obviously the other one is Harry himself as well. They’re both great stories.
“He (Dean) is going to draw a very long partnership with ‘Weiters’ down there I’m sure.
“Jagga, most people have been seeing him over the last couple of weeks and the impact he can have on games – probably how valuable he will be to us.”
Voss’s attitude about Weitering was that unless something goes badly wrong at training, the key defender will play.
Weitering suffered a fractured rib while playing for Victoria in last month’s State of Origin game.
“We’re expecting he will (play), but obviously we have to let training tell us that before we make any final decisions,” Voss said.
Voss added Weitering has done contact work in training.
“Probably this is the one where it (contact) becomes somewhat uncontrolled, versus being controlled, but we’ll wait and see,” he said.
“He just has to go flat-out, really – that’s it.
“We’re determined to go up there and get the job done, whether he’s there or not.”
Voss also spoke about coming up against Curnow, who will be determined to play well against his old club in a mouth-watering start to the AFL season.
“We’re fully aware of the capacity the guy has,” he said.
“He certainly has X-factor, there’s no doubt about that. But at the same time, if it works out that Weiters becomes a match-up for him, I’ve seen those battles (at training) over the long run.
“They know each other very, very well.”
