Carlton captain Marc Murphy will run out for his first hit-out of the NAB Challenge when the Blues take on Geelong at Etihad Stadium this afternoon.

Murphy has been named in Carlton’s 27-man squad after recovering from a calf strain.

Dale Thomas has also been named for his first game of the pre-season, but Bryce Gibbs and Rob Warnock won’t play.

Carlton’s Head of Football Andrew McKay says both players are expected to be ready for round one.

“Bryce and Rob copped knocks to their shoulders in the win over Collingwood, and although both of them trained today, we would rather not risk them,” McKay said.

“Both of them will be fine come round one, but Rob’s absence means that Cameron Wood gets another game in which is great for him because he has shown some really good form over the pre-season.”

The Cats will take a near full strength team into the game.

Midfielder Steve Johnson and ruckman Hamish McIntosh have been added to the side, which defeated Adelaide last week.

Also named in the squad is Josh Cowan who successfully made his comeback to football via the VFL last week.

Out of the side from last Thursday are Sam Blease and Billie Smedts (back soreness).

4 Things To Look Out For

1. STEVE JOHNSON
Dogged by a foot problem during part of the pre-season, ‘Stevie J’ returned to the field in the VFL last weekend. He showed his full repertoire of skills, booting three goals, seven clearances and 22 disposals. There was some doubt about whether Johnson would be fit to take on Carlton after he suffered a corked thigh in the third quarter and ended the afternoon on crutches. But he trained strongly this week and is fired up for a big game against the Blues. Look for Johnson to spend more time in the forward line this season than he has in the past couple of years. Ruckman Hamish McIntosh will also make his first NAB Challenge appearance for the year on Sunday.

2. SPEEDY BLUES
Carlton impressed the pundits with some fast and furious ball-movement during its narrow win over Collingwood at Bendigo’s Queen Elizabeth Oval. The Blues scored a number of ‘slingshot’ goals by racing the ball from defence to attack in a matter of seconds. Mick Malthouse’s side will certainly give the Cats plenty to think about, especially with skipper Marc Murphy back in the middle of the park.

3. A CLOSE GAME
The last time Geelong and Carlton met in a pre-season game was back in 2009, when they did battle in a NAB Cup semi-final. The Cats prevailed by 17 points, and AFL.com.au reporter Jennifer Witham (now Jennifer Phelan) wrote: “A super-goal to half-forward Paul Chapman proved the deciding factor in the final term.” She added that, “Geelong was without Jimmy Bartel and Joel Selwood in the middle, but Cameron Ling (28 disposals), Joel Corey (25) James Kelly (24) and Chapman (26) were the mainstays as Gary Ablett (21) spent time forward often troubled by young opponent Aaron Joseph.” Current Richmond player Shaun Grigg was named second-best for the Blues that night.

4. THE ROOF IN A NEW POSITION
The to-ing and fro-ing over whether or not to shut the roof for day games at Etihad Stadium has been going on since the place opened in 2000. Because the playing surface runs north-south rather than east-west, the sun not only gets in the eyes of the spectators when left open, it also bothers the players. And then there’s the issue of the telecast. The viewing experience has been ruined for people at home on numerous occasions because the cameras are unable to adjust fast enough as the ball moves from sunny to shady areas of the ground. This weekend, however, a new roof position will be trialled with the western roof panel to be moved so the field stays in shade during play as the sun moves. If the change works it will be a great result. But as David Schwarz said on SEN radio on Wednesday, “It’s taken them 15 years to come up with this. You cannot be serious!”

CARLTON SQUAD:

GEELONG SQUAD: