Charlie Curnow will miss start of season, Harry McKay to join main training
Carlton fans had their hearts in their mouths when Charlie Curnow fractured his patella in a freak accident late last year. Will he be right for Round 1, and how is Harry McKay’s groin injury tracking?
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Carlton has confirmed emerging star Charlie Curnow will miss the start of the season as he recovers from knee surgery.
The 22-year-old was in doubt for Round 1, sent in for surgery after fracturing his right patella in November.
Curnow suffered the setback in a freak accident slipping on tiles while walking up stairs.
He underwent a separate procedure a month earlier after dislocating the same knee playing basketball.
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Blues high performance director Andrew Russell said his rehabilitation is on track but the club has opted to put a line through an early return in 2020.
“We have a really good understanding of Charlie’s injury is … we expected it to take a period of time to recover, it is taking that time,” Russell told the Carlton website.
“He won’t be available for the start of the season.
“We’ll give everyone an update as he progresses.”
It comes as a relief for the talented forward, who is no longer in a race against the clock to play in the opening rounds.
“I had a meeting with the surgeon and the knee is tracking along quite well,” Curnow told the club’s website.
“We’ve ruled out the start of the season, which is kind of nice to know. It means I don’t have to rush back.
“I can take my time to look after the knee and do all the right processes before I make my return to the field.
“I can’t wait to get back on the track and do what I love.”
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Curnow endured an injury-riddled 2019 campaign, playing just 11 matches and not featuring after Round 15 due to a medial ligament injury.
The news is better for fellow young forward Harry McKay in his recovery from a pre-Christmas groin injury.
The young gun is set to ramp up his training load in the coming weeks.
“Harry was a bit slower after the season but we completely changed his program, we stripped it back, we started again,” Russell said.
“He’s out there running, he’s doing some fantastic dynamic strength work that the guys aren’t seeing off the track.
“We expect to see him pretty soon out there with the balls in hand.”
Meanwhile, tall defender Caleb Marchbank will resume training with the main group in the next 2-3 weeks following his nasty neck injury midway through last season. He is expected to be available for the start of the season.
Originally published as Charlie Curnow will miss start of season, Harry McKay to join main training
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