The return of forgotten No.1 draft pick Matthew Kreuzer has finally arrived, with the talented Carlton ruckman to face Adelaide on Saturday.

Kreuzer hasn’t played since round one of the 2014 season due to a series of debilitating foot injuries.

The 26-year-old was recalled by the Blues on Thursday alongside fit-again stars Marc Murphy, Chris Judd, who both missed the side’s last-start loss to Sydney.

Dale Thomas was unavailable for the MCG match due to a toe injury, while Chris Yarran and Liam Jones were both dropped.

Yarran was axed for disciplinary reasons, interim coach John Barker explaining “he hasn’t got some things right around punctuality this week”.

The Crows also made three changes, recalling Rory Sloane, Brodie Smith and Kyle Hartigan at the expense of Jake Lever (ankle), Brodie Martin and Jarryd Lyons.

Essendon captain Jobe Watson (groin) and Western Bulldogs young gun Marcus Bontempelli (adductor) headlined the enforced omissions for the weekend.

The Bombers will also be without Dustin Fletcher (groin) for their crunch clash with Geelong at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.

The Cats made one change, adding Josh Walker in place of Mitch Clark (calf).

Jake Stringer, Stewart Crameri and debutant Toby McLean were promoted to the Bulldogs side that thumped Greater Western Sydney, with Liam Picken (hamstring) and Marcus Bontempelli (adductor) unable to face Port Adelaide on Saturday night.

The Power added Aaron Young to their 22 in place of Nathan Krakouer.

Undefeated Fremantle named an unchanged side for Friday night’s game against Richmond, while the Tigers dropped Liam McBean to pave the way for Ty Vickery’s return.

Gold Coast beanpole Peter Wright will debut against Sydney on Saturday, the 203cm giant benefiting from Charlie Dixon’s club-imposed suspension for drinking.

Jack Martin (hamstring) and Alex Sexton (hip) are also out for the Suns, who opted to promote Andrew Raines and Matt Shaw.

The Swans will be without small forward Ben McGlynn, who suffered a hamstring injury at training on Thursday.

“He’ll get a scan in the next day or so, he’s out for this week and probably next week as well,” Swans coach John Longmire said.

GWS co-captain Phil Davis and Brisbane playmaker Pearce Hanley will return on Sunday, when their two sides face off at Spotless Stadium.

The Lions’ wretched run with injury continued, with captain Tom Rockliff (ribs former skipper Jed Adcock (calf) and Claye Beams (knee) among five enforced omissions.

North Melbourne skipper Andrew Swallow, West Coast’s Elliot Yeo and fit-again Hawthorn midfielders Jordan Lewis and Will Langford were some of the key inclusions among the extended squads for Sunday’s games.

There were only two confirmed changes for the Queen’s Birthday fixture, Collingwood midfielder Taylor Adams out due to a toe injury and Rohan Bail dropped by Melbourne.

FRIDAY, June 5

Fremantle v Richmond at Domain Stadium 8.10pm

Head to Head: Dockers 14 Tigers 16

Last clash: Round 13 2014 – Dockers 16.9 (105) bt Tigers 12.13 (85) at MCG

Tab Sportsbet: Dockers $1.19 Tigers $4.05

William Hill: Dockers $1.20 Tigers $4.50

The Tigers have surged in recent weeks – downing Port Adelaide, then Essendon to restore some faith in their supporters. But there is no sterner test than the Dockers on their home patch. Fremantle’s unbeaten nine-game stretch has been built on a Ross Lyon trademark: stingy defence. But the Dockers also boast multiple scoring threats and have the best disposal efficiency of any side. The output of Richmond’s midfield is critical: can Trent Cotchin and co generate enough ball for Jack Riewoldt to kick a winning score?

Key: Fremantle’s Nat Fyfe had 40 disposals last week when pitted in an engaging one-on-one with a fellow star, Adelaide’s Patrick Dangerfield. Coach Ross Lyon dislikes people labelling Fyfe as the best player in the league, but it’s hard to argue he’s not.

Tip: Dockers by 25 points

SATURDAY, June 6

Carlton v Adelaide at MCG 1.40pm

Head to Head: Blues 18 Crows 15

Last clash: Round 10 2014 – Blues 12.9 (81) bt Crows 10.16 (76) at MCG

Tab Sportsbet: Blues $4.40 Crows $1.22

William Hill: Blues $4.00 Crows $1.24

Now the heat from Mick Malthouse’s sacking has finally eased a little, the serious questions remain: what can Carlton produce on the field? Can they generate enough spark to worry an Adelaide side smarting from consecutive losses? What can John Barker change in his second game as interim coach? Marc Murphy and Chris Judd return, as does forgotten big man Matthew Kreuzer. Carlton curiously boast the best centre clearance average of any club, with the Crows ranked third in that statistic.

Key: He’s second on the goalkicking list and Eddie Betts, the ex-Blue, will be doubly keen for a big game against his former club, given Malthouse cast aspersions on his move to the Crows at the end of 2013.

Tip: Crows by 19 points

Gold Coast v Sydney at Metricon Stadium 4.35pm

Head to Head: Suns 0 Swans 4

Last clash: Round 12 2014 – Swans 17.7 (109) bt Suns 10.14 (74) at Metricon Stadium

Tab Sportsbet: Suns $10.00 Swans $1.05

William Hill: Suns $11.00 Swans $1.04

Gold Coast’s disaster of a season took another turn for the worse with the alcohol-related suspensions of Charlie Dixon and Jack Martin – is this rock bottom for Rocket Eade? The new coach is offered no respite with a match-up against the solid Swans, who are perched in third with a seven-two win-loss record. While the spotlight is invariably trained on Sydney’s star-studded attack, they remain defensive masters and have conceded the second-least scores against.

Key: Gold Coast’s mindset. How will the Suns react after copping another battering? Will they play with something to prove, or continue to follow their bleak script?

Tip: Swans by 52 points

Essendon v Geelong at Etihad Stadium 7.20pm

Head to Head: Bombers 113 Cats 94 Drawn 5

Last clash: Round 15 2014 – Cats 13.11 (89) bt Bombers 11.14 (80) at Etihad Stadium

Tab Sportsbet: Bombers $2.15 Cats $1.70

William Hill: Bombers $2.15 Cats $1.70

An intriguing clash between two clubs in a mid-table fight. Both have four wins and five losses; the Bombers 10th, Cats 12th. Both enter this high-stakes fixture after a loss. But both will fancy their chances of a win if their respective midfields can win enough possession. Can the Dons’ on-ballers deliver without injured captain Jobe Watson?

Key: Essendon’s Joe Daniher is building a name as a key forward, top 15 on the goalkicker’s list and a major worry for Geelong’s backline.

Tip: Bombers by 8 points

Port Adelaide v Western Bulldogs at Adelaide Oval 7.40pm

Head to Head: Power 12 Bulldogs 11

Last clash: Round 14 2014 – Power 19.14 (128) bt Bulldogs 8.8 (56) at Adelaide Oval

Tab Sportsbet: Power $1.25 Bulldogs $3.85

William Hill: Power $1.25 Bulldogs $3.90

Port returned to form with a 61-point belting of Melbourne and coach Ken Hinkley is now demanding consistency. The Power carry favouritism against the Bulldogs and their defence is holding up superbly – they have the most defensive rebounds of any outfit. The Bulldogs halted a three-game losing streak last week with a valuable victory. But can the Doggies quell Port’s midfield – the collective of Travis Boak, Robbie Gray, Ollie Wines, Brad Ebert, Hamish Hartlett and Chad Wingard loom large.

Key: Bulldog Will Minson, after making the most of his tribunal reprieve, now locks horns with another hard-nosed ruckman, Matthew Lobbe. Their battle – sure to be gruelling and grappling – is pivotal to the outcome.

Tip: Power by 21 points

SUNDAY, June 7

Greater Western Sydney v Brisbane Lions at Spotless Stadium 1.10pm

Head to Head: Giants 1 Lions 2

Last clash: Round 13 2014 – Giants 19.11 (125) bt Lions 12.8 (80) at Gabba

Tab Sportsbet: Giants $1.10 Lions $7.00

William Hill: Giants $1.10 Lions $7.00

The Giants could rarely have been such overwhelming favourites before. Leon Cameron’s side sit in fifth spot despite a hiccup last week and host the hapless Lions – 16th, with two wins. Brisbane are struggling in all areas but fixing their defence is the most pressing issue – only Carlton have leaked more points against. That spells danger when the Giants, led by Jeremy Cameron and Cam McCarthy, have such daunting attacking options.

Key: Can Brisbane control Giant Dylan Shiel, who is surely a Brownlow Medal challenger. Shiel is averaging 29 disposals a game, the sixth-best in the competition.

Tip: Giants by 49 points

North Melbourne v West Coast at Blundstone Arena 3.20pm

Head to Head: Kangaroos 20 Eagles 24

Last clash: Round 11 2014 – Kangaroos 12.10 (82) bt Eagles 6.8 (44) at Domain Stadium

Tab Sportsbet: Kangaroos $2.10 Eagles $1.73

William Hill: Kangaroos $2.05 Eagles $1.77

The clash of the round. North’s response to last week’s capitulation comes without coach Brad Scott, sidelined by back surgery. The Roos remain the competition’s enigma: capable of brilliance, often dishing up mediocrity. They meet the surprise packets of the season in the Eagles, sitting pretty in second spot with seven wins and two losses. Another win on the board and West Coast are surely travelling to the finals.

Key: Can North’s key back Scott Thompson put the clamp on West Coast spearhead Josh Kennedy, who has kicked six more goals than anyone else this season.

Tip: Kangaroos by 11 points

St Kilda v Hawthorn at Etihad Stadium 4.40pm

Head to Head: Saints 71 Hawks 78 Drawn 2

Last clash: Round 7 2014 – Hawks 27.13 (175) bt Saints 4.6 (30) at MCG

Tab Sportsbet: Saints $12.00 Hawks $1.03

William Hill: Saints $12.00 Hawks $1.03

Only the soaring Eagles boast more scores than the Hawks. The reigning champs also average a league-high 61.2 inside 50s a game – a dozen to the better of the developing Saints. Hawthorn also have four players in the top 10 for goal assists, leaving Saints coach Alan Richardson plenty of headaches as his young side seeks an upset fourth win of the season.

Key: Only two players have registered more inside 50s than St Kilda’s Jack Steven this season, but can he break the shackles of an expected Hawthorn hard tag?

Tip: Hawks by 68 points

MONDAY, June 8

Melbourne v Collingwood at MCG 3.20pm

Head to Head: Demons 79 Magpies 145 Drawn 5

Last clash: Round 12 2014 – Magpies 8.13 (61) bt Demons 3.10 (28) at MCG

Tab Sportsbet: Demons $3.75 Magpies $1.27

William Hill: Demons $3.70 Magpies $1.28

No matter the multitude of opinions about Collingwood, they’re in fourth spot and favoured to bank a seventh win of the season against the Demons in the holiday clash. That would give Nathan Buckley’s troops an inside path to the finals, but they’ll be wary of a Melbourne deserving of more respect than their current 15th position on the ladder. The Demons will offer maximum effort but their lack of scoring polish hurts – they’re the league’s low-scorers.

Key: The kicking boot of Collingwood man mountain Travis Cloke. If he can find his radar, Cloke could kick a bag of goals against an unheralded Demons defence.

Tip: Magpies by 27 points

– AAP