Charlie Curnow confident of getting back to his best after year of injury frustration

Charlie Curnow has opened up on a year of injury pain after battling with ankle issues throughout 2024, revealing his path back to his barnstorming best after off-season surgery.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – JULY 13: Charlie Curnow of the Blues celebrates after scoring a goal during the round 18 AFL match between Western Bulldogs and Carlton Blues at Marvel Stadium, on July 13, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Carlton superstar Charlie Curnow is ready to attack pre-season training and turn the page on a frustrating year which ended prematurely because of an ankle injury.

The two-time Coleman Medallist missed the Blues elimination final loss to Brisbane after succumbing to an ankle problem which he’d carried for the later part of the season.

He has had successful surgery on the injury and will be 100 per cent fit for the official start of Carlton’s pre-season training on December 2.

Speaking at Clifton Hill McDonalds on Saturday where he was celebrating McHappy Day to help raise funds for Ronald McDonald House, Curnow revealed the frustrations he’d experienced after initially injuring the ankle during the warm-up before the Blues round 17 loss to the GWS Giants.

Charlie Curnow has gone down into the rooms to have his ankle injury assessed/treated. This is what happened.#AFLPiesBluespic.twitter.com/9Pb4cJtH6i

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“It got too far away from me in season, I just kept on re-injuring my ankle and I couldn’t get back to 100 per cent,” he said.

“The surgery has been able to get me back to 100 per cent now which means I’ll be able to play the way I want to play which will be nice.”

Despite his issues the 27-year-old still managed to kick over 50 goals for the third successive season and knows the pressure is on the Blues to bounce back from a disappointing 2024 campaign.

“Every year there is a lot that gets thrown your way that you’re not prepared for, it can always be a bit turbulent but also be a lot of fun at the same time,” Curnow said.

“A lot of injuries came at us, a few things didn’t go our way late in the season so in the end that is the way it was. Now we’re ready to go, the football game just moves so quickly and hopefully we’re not talking about last year and we’re talking about next year soon.

Charlie Curnow has headed into the rooms injured.

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“Every year if you’re not that top team you probably feel the burden of not being a successful football club so then there is always a lot of energy coming into the pre-season.

“The thing is we do know everything is there, we know that’s exciting and so it’s up to us to make things happen now. We just have to make it happen.

“That starts this pre-season and we have such loyal fans who come for the journey with us so it will be good to fire them up at some point this season and I know they will.”

Charlie Curnow is confident he will be back to his best in 2025.

Curnow managed to get away for a holiday in Vietnam following his ankle surgery and is heading to Darwin next week with teammates Jesse Motlop, Sam Walsh and Matt Cottrell for a promotional tour in the Top End.

“It’s going to be an awesome trip and those boys have all got ties up in Darwin,” he said. “Walshy did a stint when he was a kid, went to school there and Jesse’s family is everywhere up there.

“It’s my first time and I’m pretty excited. We’re going to a lot of junior football clubs, getting planes out to remote communities to kick the footy on some red dirt ovals which will be amazing.”

Originally published as Charlie Curnow confident of getting back to his best after year of injury frustration