CARLTON is set to receive a defensive boost for Saturday’s clash with Gold Coast.

Jacob Weitering is due to make his return to the backline this weekend, having missed the Round 17 victory over Sydney with a broken nose.

The in-form defender had been in career-best form before a head knock with Christian Petracca during the Round 16 clash with Melbourne sidelined him.

Director of High Performance Andrew Russell is confident Weitering will be fit to pull on the Navy Blue at Marvel Stadium on Saturday.

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“Weiters, we thought he was a good chance to play last week but he didn’t quite get to the line,” Russell said.

“He trained full today, he trained fully on Thursday and he’ll definitely be able to play on the weekend which is great news.”

Weitering will likely slot back into the senior side for Hugh Goddard, with the former Saint set to miss up to the next fortnight through injury.

Goddard will have surgery on a fractured cheekbone sustained during his debut outing for the Blues against Sydney.

“Hugh Goddard will have surger‪y‬,” he said.

“It’s amazing what they can do these days and we expect him to miss only 1-2 weeks and be back playing very soon.”

In positive news for Carlton supporters, Liam Stocker is edging closer to a return after spending over a month on the sidelines with an ankle injury.

The young Blue is expected to make his return to football via the VFL, having returned to full training in recent weeks.

“Stocker has had two weeks of full training,” Russell said.

“He’s back, he’s ready to play again this week and we’re going to be really excited to see him out there again.”