AFL 2023: Carlton star Sam Walsh will work through rehab with no timeline on return to game

The Blues were dealt a massive blow in the week before Christmas with Sam Walsh receiving back surgery, but the star midfielder is confident of making a full return in 2023.

Michael Voss, Senior Coach of the Blues and Nic Newman of the Blues celebrate during the 2022 AFL Round 15 match between the Carlton Blues and the Fremantle Dockers at Marvel Stadium on June 25, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Carlton star Sam Walsh is not putting a timeframe on his return from back surgery but says he is back “moving” and will diligently work through his rehabilitation.

Walsh had back surgery three days before Christmas in a major blow to his preparations for the 2023.

The 22-year-old had missed the club’s Round 23 clash with Collingwood last year due to a back issue, which did not mend itself in the months that followed as hoped.

“I went through stages which were really good and then other stages where we had to try a few different things,” Walsh told Channel 7 on Wednesday.

“At my age, we exhausted every other option and it was evident that surgery was needed.”

Walsh underwent a micro-discectomy procedure in his back to remove a bulging disc portion and relieve pressure on a nerve.

No timeframe for Sam Walsh’s return from back surgery. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Carlton said at the time that the surgery would rule Walsh out “for the start of the 2023 home and away season”, but did not list an expected return date.

“When you say ‘back surgery’ some people start to freak out. But I’ve just got to treat it as any other surgery,” Walsh said.

“I’ve started to get moving and stuff, which is exciting. But from here we’ll sort of map out a bit of a plan.

“I’ll have goals to hit along the way and then from there I’ll know when I’m ready to play. Then we’ve just got to weigh up whether that’s the right timing from a risk point of view.”

Walsh finished third in Carlton’s best and fairest last season, behind only Patrick Cripps and Sam Docherty.

The No.1 draft pick from 2018 played 20 games last year, averaging 32.1 disposals, 4.4 clearances and 6.3 score involvements.

In another injury concern for Carlton, television cameras captured midfielder-forward Matt Cottrell on crutches as he nurses a stress injury in his right foot.

Cottrell had been one of the standouts on the training track before Christmas.
The Blues will officially return to pre-season training on January 16.

NO MORE NEARLY AS PRESSURE ON BLUES TO TAKE NEXT STEP

- Jay Clark

Nic Newman was a delivery man.

After brief stints in landscaping and carpentry after school, the Carlton defender began supplying construction fasteners and tools to work sites around Victoria.

Back then in his tradie days, a big night at the MCG was somewhere Newman went with his mates to watch from the stands, hoping one day he would get to swap the pie in his hand for a yellow Sherrin.

“I thank my lucky stars someone took a chance on a chubby kid from Frankston,” Newman said.

“Because, honestly, I don’t know what I would be doing otherwise.

“I did a few random jobs, and it was interesting going around to all the big sites around the place, delivering bits and pieces, silicone and stuff like that.

“But I think it is fair to say I wasn’t on the path to greatness in the construction industry.”

It is why the former rookie, who was originally taken by Sydney Swans and then traded to Carlton five years ago, rocks up to work every day with a smile on his face and his sleeves rolled up.

Instead of delivering glue guns and nuts and bolts, these days the 29-year-old’s job is to find safe passage out of the Blues’ back line and pinpoint passes to Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow.

Nic Newman showed his immense talent last year and will be hoping for further improvement in the upcoming season.

And after establishing himself as a regular last season playing 19 games, the man voted best clubman in 2022 returned to training one month early, as hungry as anyone to help Carlton break its 10-year finals drought.

The heartbreak of missing September last year by one point in that unforgettable loss to Collingwood has once again been replaced by a summer buzz at Ikon Park.

The Blues know there is an incredible opportunity at hand, and while the expectations and pressure will clearly go up a notch, Newman says Carlton is ready to embrace the spotlight which will clearly follow his footy club next season.

Port Adelaide great and respected analyst Kane Cornes has already suggested the pressure might be “unbearable” for a club which “coughed up” an 8-3 start to the season.

Smashed by injuries, the Blues needed to win one of their last two games against either the Demons or Magpies, and missed by a whisker.

But, as one of two players who will be 30 by the start of next season (Ed Curnow the other), Newman said the Blues were “primed and ready to take the next step” under Michael Voss in 2023.

“The Thursday nights and the Friday night games are exciting, you just love to be a part of it,” Newman said.

The talented defender established himself as a regular last season playing 19 games.

Nic Newman believes the tough year in defence last season will be an asset this year.

“If you want to be a good team and play on the last day of the year and in big finals, then the big games throughout the season are as close as you going to get to that stuff and I think we are going to be ready for whatever comes our way.

“It is all a great experience, and we are going to embrace it because as a player you see a Friday night game and you get excited about it, and that is the approach we are taking.”

Down back, there were constant running repairs in 2022 as a string of defenders went down, including Zac Williams, Mitch McGovern and Jacob Weitering.

If it was tricky, Newman believes the exposure will benefit the Blues who are hoping for more luck and continuity in their team next year.

But there is no magic wand, and no major overhauls of the game plan.

Newman said the club “did a lot right”, but were honest about their late-season shortcomings.

“We started really well, and played some great footy, but the game is a brutal one,” Newman said.

“And if you drop the ball or are off the mark a bit, you get stung.

“It happened in the last four games, and we have got no one else to blame and nowhere else to look but ourselves.

“But there were some real positives with some of the footy we were able to produce, so for us it’s about building on that solid platform from last year.

“But nothing drastic is changing. It’s just about getting better, and looking after the detail with everything we do, and the game plan. Nailing that a bit more, and just getting some of those finer details right.

“We have definitely got to earn the right to win some more games next year. It is on us, and that is exciting.”

Curnow and McKay have re-signed, Blake Acres adds another reliable run machine on the wing, and the fixture has been rated one of the softer runs in the league.

It starts with Richmond in the blockbuster season-opener, and Newman has his sights firmly set on reuniting with Adam Saad and Williams in round 1, after missing the last few games of last season with a cut leg.

Michael Voss and Nic Newman enjoy a win last season. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Newman required plastic surgery and about 13 stitches after he sliced open his knee cap in an attempt to tackle a Crows’ opponent from behind.

His man’s plastic studs did the damage, ending Newman’s season, as he was unable to bend his leg for about one month. Then, it got infected.

“It was just a bit of a freak accident really,” he said.

“It was the sort of thing that happens 100 times in a game, because I tried to tackle him but my knee dragged across his studs, and it just ripped my knee right open.

“Then, there was an infection, too, so it was a bit of a debacle.

“It’s all good now, but it was hard watching from the sidelines because you feel so helpless, not being able to do anything about it.

“The players, supporters, I think we all felt the same about it (missing finals).

“But there is a great feeling around the place now, and we have been stuck into it for about one month.

“The fire in the belly is definitely there. I feel like I have learned some lessons along the way that have really helped me and definitely want to make the most of this next little period.”

Newman’s journey has not been straightforward, relying on a second chance in the rookie draft, and then a fresh start at Carlton in a trade from Sydney Swans.

It has gone quick, he said, and Newman feels old seeing all the younger players on new apps and joking in ways he is slow to pick up on.

But there is nowhere he would rather be.

“Some people might look at me like I have done it the hard way, but I’m really thankful for all the lessons I have learned along the way,” he said.

“It is an amazing lifestyle we live and I have been so grateful to do this as a job for as long as I have.

“I love coming to work each day and getting up and about and the younger boys all hanging it on me.

“I see them on BeReal (photo-sharing app) and I don’t get some of their jokes, and I think how did this happen?

“But there’s such a great vibe at the club and as much as the on-field success drives me, when I look back on this place I want to look back and say I have helped contribute to a positive culture.

“Hopefully that translates to some on-field success because the footy club deserves it and the supporters deserve it and the people who have been here for a long time, and have worked bloody hard.

“So, we are doing all we can.”

Originally published as AFL 2023: Carlton star Sam Walsh will work through rehab with no timeline on return to game