Zac Williams suffers ACL injury as Blues injury toll mounts again, Sam Philp requires surgery

Zac Williams’ cruel injury is the latest in a frustrating off-season for Carlton, which has seen midfield star Sam Walsh sidelined and another promising youngster sent for surgery.

Carlton has suffered a significant blow to its 2023 finals aspirations after running half-back Zac Williams was ruled out of the entire season with a ruptured ACL suffered on the penultimate day of the club’s Sunshine Coast pre-season camp.

Williams was injured in a routine session on Friday, with subsequent scans confirming the Blues’ worst fears.

It’s the latest in a series of heartbreaking injuries suffered by the 28-year-old since he transferred from Greater Western Sydney to Carlton on a lucrative six-year contract at the end of 2020.

Williams has played only 23 of a possible 44 games since moving to Carlton, with a number of injury issues denying him any sort of playing continuity.

Zac Williams suffered a serious injury last year, and has done the same again in 2023. Picture: Getty Images

His 2022 was ruined by a high-grade calf injury suffered in Round 9 which saw him miss the bulk of the season, with his return coming in the Blues’ final round loss to Collingwood.

Carlton head of football Brad Lloyd said Williams will have surgery in the coming weeks before starting the slow rehabilitation process.

“These incidents are so unfortunate and we are all feeling for Zac, he could not have done any more this pre-season to get himself ready for the year,” Lloyd said.

“He will undergo surgery to repair his ACL and from there, we will put a rehabilitation program in place for him over the next 12 months.

“He has had more than his fair share of bad luck with injury Zac but in that time he has built up a lot of resilience, which he will no doubt tap into, as we all support him on his road to recovery from here.”

The Blues flew back from their Sunshine Coast training camp on Saturday.

The Club can confirm defender Zac Williams will unfortunately miss the 2023 season after rupturing his ACL.

Forward Sam Philp has also undergone surgery on his foot.

Wishing Zac and Philpy a speedy recovery. We're all behind you. 💙

— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) February 4, 2023

Zac Williams can take my ACL, I don’t need it this year, come onnnn 😭😭

— Steph 🌻 (@aboutasteph) February 4, 2023

Zac Williams has done an ACL.

What's that quote about things you can rely on in life? Death, taxes and Carlton season-ending injuries? 😕😔

— Navyblue_Bec (@navyblue_bec) February 4, 2023

Williams had been making steady progress in his pre-season campaign with a solid process with the Blues confident he was ready to recapture his best before Friday’s training mishap.

Carlton endured a frustrating run of injuries last year that played a role in them missing the finals, with president Luke Sayers saying postseason that the club had tinkered with a few aspects of their training and medical operations.

Williams’ injury setback for the Blues is the latest in a frustrating off-season which has seen midfield star Sam Walsh sidelined with a back injury after pre-Christmas surgery.

The Blues are yet to have a definitive timeline on Walsh’s likely return.

Forward Sam Philip underwent surgery this week after suffering a stress fracture to the second metatarsal in his foot.

“We are all really disappointed for Sam, given how hard he has worked to get his body right over the last 18 months,” Lloyd said.

“He has faced some significant challenges during that time, and while this latest one is frustrating, we’ll continue to make sure as a club we are with Sam every step of the way.

“Given the nature of his injury, we will get a more definitive picture on Sam’s recovery timeline at a later date.”