Carlton spearhead Charlie Curnow has officially been ruled out of Thursday's Round 1 clash against Richmond at the MCG.
Curnow has experienced a mixed bag over the pre-season, dealing with minor knee surgeries to correct a lingering issue.
The two-time Coleman medallist will be given an extra week to recover and build up his loads as the Blues are set to unleash the star against Hawthorn in Round 2.
The Victorian club said: "Curnow has been able to seamlessly integrate back into full training, after recovering strongly from a minor knee procedure last month and is on track to return in the early rounds."
Vossy provides updates on Charles and Walshy to the masses at open training ๐ฃ๏ธ pic.twitter.com/Q4ExStAZ3U
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"Curnow will not feature in this Thursday night's Round 1 blockbuster against Richmond, with the Club instead opting to ensure the 28-year-old benefits from an additional block of full training."
It comes as Carlton will need to rejig the tall stocks as ruckman Marc Pittonet will also be absent from the senior side as he deals with a calf issue.
Small forward Corey Durdin is also due to miss the opening month of the 2025 season with an ankle injury.
Nic Newman and Jagga Smith have all but been ruled out for the entire year, despite the former staking his claim to make an early return.
Midfielder Sam Walsh will be given every opportunity to push his case forward after overcoming a hamstring injury in recent weeks.
