Trent Cotchin out, Nat Fyfe back, St Kilda names Hugh Goddard, plus expert SuperCoach advice

MELBOURNE will take a revamped forward line into the must-win clash against West Coast while the Bulldogs have regained their skipper and Carlton debuts a big man. SEE THE TEAMS HERE

MELBOURNE has revamped its forward line as its place in the top eight goes on the line against West Coast on Sunday.

The Demons have lost spearhead Jesse Hogan for the season while goalsneak Jeff Garlett has been dropped for the Perth Stadium clash. Michael Hibberd returns from a hamstring injury and has been named in a forward pocket while recalled tall Sam Weideman will start at centre half-forward. BUCKENARA: THE MATURE-AGE GEMS ON CLUB RADARS CRYSTAL BALL: SUPERFOOTY TEAM PREDICT 2018 FINISH Fellow forwards Dean Kent, Jake Melksham and Mitch Hannan have all been recalled with Jayden Hunt (ankle), Jay Kennedy-Harris and Cam Pedersen are out. The second-placed Eagles are unchanged. Western Bulldogs captain Easton Wood’s return has been confirmed after he was named as the only change for the clash against Carlton. Zaine Cordy is out with a fractured skull. The Blues regain Jacob Weitering and Aaron Mullett while handing ruckman Tom de Koning his AFL debut. Meanwhile at Adelaide Oval, Adelaide has replaced suspended captain Taylor Walker with Mitch McGovern while Paul Seedsman and Riley Knight are also back. North Melbourne has rested Paul Ahern with Nathan Hrovat the only change to the team that lost to the Bulldogs last week. Meanwhile, Geelong coach Chris Scott has swung the axe, dropping three fringe Cats for Saturday’s must-win clash against Fremantle. Veteran swingman Harry Taylor will make his return from his latest foot injury, while second-gamer Ryan Abbott will replace hurt big man Rhys Stanley (calf). Taylor has played only five games this season amid continued foot problems and has been named in attack to partner Tom Hawkins and Daniel Menzel. It is a huge game for the Cats, who need to win their last two home games against Fremantle and Gold Coast to keep their finals hopes alive. While the Cats have some of the biggest midfield superstars in the game, it is their depth which has troubled the club. Scott dropped young trio Lachie Fogarty, Quinton Narkle and James Parsons, for Jackson defender Thurlow, speedster Jordan Murdoch and Taylor. The Dockers welcomed back gun midfielder Nat Fyfe and Bailey Banfield, while Michael Walters will also play after overcoming a hamstring concern. Hawthorn was boosted by the return of No.1 ruckman Ben McEvoy at the expense of Jon Ceglar for Saturday night’s tussle against the besieged Saints at Etihad Stadium. Midfielder Nathan Freeman was dropped, while Hugh Goddard will make his long-awaited return to replace suspended stopper Nathan Brown. Earlier, Richmond revealed it will be without a key trio for Friday night’s MCG blockbuster against Essendon. Skipper Trent Cotchin, David Astbury and Dion Prestia will not feature as they all battle soreness. None of the trio trained on Thursday. Cotchin and Prestia are both battling hamstring soreness while Astbury is suffering some Achilles soreness. All three are expected to only miss one week. Damien Hardwick faced the media this morning - before Cotchin and Astbury’s news was confirmed - and said that Prestia was left out as a “conservative approach”. “He trained yesterday but we won’t push him. He’ll have an easier week this week,” he said. “We’ll assess these things as they go along but we’re probably in the situation at the moment where we’ll probably take a really conservative approach with those players that need it and he’s one of those guys at present.” Essendon trio Cale Hooker, Brendon Goddard and Adam Saad are available for Friday night’s crunch clash with the premiers. Saad trained with the main group on Thursday, six days after being concussed by a nasty high bump from St Kilda’s Nathan Brown. Hooker and Goddard (knee) were absent but trained on Wednesday and are tipped to line up at the MCG with the 11th-placed Bombers still a chance to sneak into the top eight. — with AAP Watch every match of every round of the 2018 Toyota AFL Premiership Season. SIGN UP NOW >

Originally published as Trent Cotchin out, Nat Fyfe back, St Kilda names Hugh Goddard, plus expert SuperCoach advice