Caleb Marchbank

{{Short description|Australian rules footballer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}

{{Use Australian English|date=July 2015}}

{{Infobox AFL biography

| name = Caleb Marchbank

| image = Caleb Marchbank 2017.jpg

| image_size = 200px

| caption = Marchbank playing in June 2017.

| fullname = Caleb Marchbank

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1996|12|07|df=y}}

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| originalteam = Benalla, Murray Bushrangers (TAC Cup)

| draftpick = No. 6, 2014 national draft

| position = Key Defender{{Cite web|url=https://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/2018-09-19/season-review-caleb-marchbank|title=Season review: Caleb Marchbank|website=carltonfc.com.au|access-date=2019-04-18}}

| currentclub =

| guernsey =

| height = 193 cm

| weight = 93 kg

| years1 = 2015–2016

| club1 = {{AFL GWS}}

| games_goals1 = {{0}}7 (0)

| years2 = 2017–2024

| club2 = {{AFL Car}}

| games_goals2 = 56 (0)

| games_goalstotal = 63 (0)

| statsend = 2024

| careerhighlights = *AFL Rising Star nominee: 2017

| nickname = Neck

}}

Caleb Marchbank (born 7 December 1996) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for Greater Western Sydney and Carlton in the Australian Football League (AFL). He made his debut against {{AFL NM}} at Spotless Stadium in round 12, 2015.{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-match-report/weakened-gws-giants-no-match-for-hardened-north-melbourne-20150620-ght8rr.html|title=Weakened GWS Giants no match for hardened North Melbourne|last=Sygall|first=David|date=20 June 2015|work=The Age|publisher=Fairfax Media|accessdate=30 July 2015}} In September 2016, Marchbank requested a trade from Greater Western Sydney{{cite news|url=http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/caleb-marchbank-requests-trade-from-gws-giants/news-story/7986e7bd438e147d460130b6bac2cf60|title=Caleb Marchbank requests trade from GWS Giants|last=Beveridge|first=Riley|date=1 September 2016|work=Fox Sports (Australia)|publisher=News Corp Australia|accessdate=1 September 2016}} and nominated {{AFL Car}} as his preferred club.{{cite news|url=http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-09-16/blues-win-race-for-wantaway-giant-caleb-marchbank|title=Blues win race for wantaway Giant Caleb Marchbank|last=Twomey|first=Callum|date=16 September 2016|work=AFL.com.au|publisher=Bigpond|accessdate=16 September 2016}} He was traded to Carlton in October 2016.{{cite news|url=http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-10-20/three-giants-caleb-marchbank-jarrod-pickett-rhys-palmer-head-to-carlton|title=Three Giants head to Carlton in last-ditch mega-trade|date=20 October 2016|work=AFL.com.au|publisher=Bigpond|accessdate=20 October 2016}}

Marchbank was named the 2017 AFL Rising Star nominee for round 6 after gaining 21 disposals and taking 10 marks in the Blues' 19-point win over the Sydney Swans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.{{cite web|url=http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-05-01/exgiant-marchbank-impresses-as-a-rising-star-blue|title=Ex-Giant Marchbank impresses as a Rising Star Blue|publisher=AFL.com.au|first=Marc|last=McGowan|work=Telstra|date=1 May 2017|accessdate=1 May 2017}}

Marchbank encountered a series of significant injury setbacks throughout his professional career. In 2013, a back injury sidelined him for most of the season after he was kneed in the back in a TAC Cup game.{{cite news |last1=Twomey |first1=Callum |title=GIANT Prospects: Meet Caleb Marchbank |url=https://www.gwsgiants.com.au/news/707434/giant-prospects-meet-caleb-marchbank |work=AFL Media |date=27 November 2014}} It left him with stress fractures, and kept him out of action for six months. The following year, he tore his right meniscus during his final year in the TAC Cup.{{cite news |last1=Ralph |first1=Jon |title=Caleb Marchbank opens up about his decision to leave GWS to return home to Victoria |url=https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/carlton/caleb-marchbank-opens-up-about-his-decision-to-leave-gws-to-return-home-to-victoria/news-story/86b4b2793690867a964f43d716933a81?amp |work=The Herald Sun |date=20 May 2017}}

In 2016, after playing in the first two games of the season, Marchbank sustained an ankle syndesmosis injury, followed by a dislocated right shoulder, which forced him to miss the remainder of the year.{{cite news |last1=McGowan |first1=Marc |title=It played with my head Marchbank's tough call |url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/103555/it-played-with-my-head-marchbanks-tough-call |work=AFL Media |date=6 January 2017}}

His injury woes continued in 2017 when he suffered a hairline fracture in his scapula, causing him to miss four weeks. In 2018, he dealt with recurring ankle injuries that kept him sidelined for more than two months.{{cite news |last1=Bowen |first1=Nick |title=Fractured shoulder sidelines young Blues defender |url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/147157/fractured-shoulder-sidelines-young-blues-defender |work=AFL Media |date=7 July 2017}}

Marchbank's injury challenges intensified in 2019 when he was struck in the head by a knee during a marking contest. This incident resulted in a non-displaced fracture of a vertebra at the base of his neck, causing him to miss the final seven weeks of the season.{{cite news |last1=Phelan |first1=Jason |title=Caleb Marchbank to miss rest of season with nasty neck injury |url=https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-2019-caleb-marchbank-to-miss-rest-of-season-with-nasty-neck-injury/news-story/ccc15efade12fe2a27a28856fe8fc78e |work=Fox Sports |date=8 July 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/2019-07-08/marchbank-ruled-out-for-season|title=Marchbank ruled out for season|publisher=Carlton Football Club|date=8 July 2019|accessdate=16 July 2019}}

In 2020, he faced further setbacks with bone bruising in his knee, accompanied by persistent calf injuries, which ultimately ruled him out for the entire season.

The following year, in April 2021, Marchbank ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee during a Victorian Football League (VFL) practice match against Box Hill, marking another major hurdle in his career.{{cite web|url=https://www.afl.com.au/news/582235/luckless-blue-caleb-marchbank-faces-another-season-out-after-acl-blow/amp|date=11 April 2021|accessdate=6 May 2022|author=Riley Beveridge|title=Luckless Blue faces another season out after ACL blow}} He continued to struggle with injuries, and in June 2022, he underwent surgery to repair a lateral meniscus tear in the same knee, which he had injured while playing against Essendon.{{cite web|url=https://www.sen.com.au/news/2022/06/14/luckless-blue-suffers-major-injury-setback-recruit-sidelined/|accessdate=14 June 2022|title=Luckless Blue Suffers Major Injury Setback Recruit Sidelined|publisher=SEN|author=Alex Zaia}}{{cite web|url=https://www.sen.com.au/news/2022/06/29/how-carltons-injury-crisis-could-hold-them-in-good-stead-long-term/|accessdate=22 August 2022|title=How Carlton's injury crisis could hold them in good stead long term|publisher=SEN|author=Nic Negrepontis}}

Marchbank played just three senior games in 2024, with illness and a back injury limiting his availability, and was delisted at the end of the season.https://www.afl.com.au/news/1218360/former-sun-ex-giant-among-five-carlton-blues-delisted-after-injury-hit-season