Jack Silvagni will play for Carlton on Thursday night after a long battle with injuries

One of the most famous names in Carlton history will be back on the MCG on Thursday night in what looms as an emotional return after a long injury battle.

It will be exactly 600 says since Jack Silvagni last played an AFL game when the Carlton star makes his return from a long injury lay-off in Thursday night’s clash with Richmond at the MCG.

Carlton coach Michael Voss confirmed Silvagni, the son of club legend Stephen, would join debutant Lucas Camporeale and former GWS defender Nick Haynes in the line-up against the Tigers.

Silvagni has not played at AFL level since July 2023 against West Coast before an ACL injury on the eve of the 2024 campaign wiped out his entire season.

Jack Silvagni last played in the AFL against West Coast in 2023. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

He has been reinvented as a defender, like his famous father, one of many changes to the Carlton defensive set-up for the 2025 season.

“Our ability to advance as a football team is how we can defend better, and we’ve gone after that pretty hard. It’s meant we’ve had to shift a couple of the magnets,” Voss said.

“‘SOS’ has been one over the last month that has probably been the final piece in terms of being there, coming off the ACL. That group is different: just taking note of the personnel, there are points of difference everywhere. We’ve got ‘SOS’ there, Haynes comes in, Ollie Hollands has been playing more half-back.

“There’s some genuine change there … we get to play it out and get the first look at it against Richmond.”

Originally published as Jack Silvagni will play for Carlton on Thursday night after a long battle with injuries