Blues fans should be rapt: Bolton
![Proud: Carlton coach Brendon Bolton addresses his players.](/web/20160717172052im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/7/o/e/w/image.related.landscape.120x80.gq7nxt.png/1468742890450.jpg)
Carlton coach Brendon Bolton says Blues fans "should be rapt" with his side's final quarter fight on Sunday.
Carlton coach Brendon Bolton says Blues fans "should be rapt" with his side's final quarter fight on Sunday.
North Melbourne coach Brad Scott says he still has confidence the Roos can "right the ship" but admits his team's self-belief is likely to have been affected by their dramatic fall from grace.
North Melbourne's murky list situation for 2017 is becoming clearer, with small forward Lindsay Thomas likely to turn his back on free agency and re-sign with the club.
North Melbourne young gun Mason Wood will miss between six and eight weeks of football after undergoing surgery to fix a ligament in his knee.
Alex Fasolo's return from a shoulder injury has only lasted one week, with the Collingwood forward to miss the AFL match against Adelaide.
Hawthorn is unable to say when Ryan Schoenmakers and Jack Fitzpatrick will return to action, as the two big men make a slow recovery from injury.
Despite their 32-point loss over the weekend, North Melbourne spearhead Ben Brown remains positive about the Roos' top four credentials, as the club gets set to welcome back experienced duo Jarrad Waite and Daniel Wells.
Gold Coast have copped a savage injury blow with both Gary Ablett and Michael Rischitelli to miss the rest of the AFL season due to injury.
Concussed Paddy McCartin unlikely to face Melbourne next week, but could be back in two weeks.
Tom Liberatore has been cleared of internal injuries after suffering bruised ribs and is a chance to line up for the Western Bulldogs next week.
North Melbourne star recruit Shaun Higgins is on track to return to senior football just before the finals, with his rehabilitation from a knee injury progressing well.
The immediate future of Melbourne defender Heritier Lumumba is unclear after he suffered another head knock on the weekend.
Geelong are on the verge of unleashing Mitch Clark against Sydney, with the key tall doing everything coach Chris Scott has asked of him in his return from a debilitating calf injury.
As Carlton confirmed the bad news for Ciaran Byrne, Blues forward Matthew Wright says he thinks Jack Silvagni did enough on Saturday night to earn another game next week.
Nathan Buckley says he remains uncertain whether Dane Swan will play again, as the veteran awaits a meeting with his surgeon this week.
Carlton have pushed back the return of captain Marc Murphy, and say he's another three weeks away from recovery from an ankle injury.
Essendon vice-captain Mark Baguley was set to meet with his surgeon on Tuesday as the Bombers wait to find out whether he will be available again in 2016.
Nathan Buckley has refused to publicly guarantee Travis Cloke a spot in Collingwood's team next week, despite the veteran playing his role "really well" in his senior return on Friday night.
The St Kilda forward line may be strengthened by the the return of Nick Riewoldt and Paddy McCartin for Sunday's game against Geelong.
Full line-ups for this weekend's matches.
Luke Dahlhaus is upbeat despite the prospect of around a month on the sidelines with a medial ligament issue in his knee, having initially feared his injury was much worse.
The tackle which led to Andrew Swallow's concussion has been ruled legal as the Kangaroos sweat on the fitness of key players ahead of Friday night's blockbuster against Hawthorn at Etihad Stadium.
Damien Hardwick lauded Tigers captain Trent Cotchin after the courageous midfielder played a key role in his side's comeback win over Gold Coast on Sunday – just five days after being hospitalised with a kidney infection.
The AFL Players Association plans to approach the AFL this week as the union investigates whether synthetic turf at Etihad Stadium played a part in Daniel Menzel's ankle injury at the ground on Saturday night.
They may be without a couple of injured stars, but Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson says he won't use Essendon match to rest players.
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