Scans have confirmed a torn ACL for Carlton draftee Jagga Smith, putting a line through the teenager's debut season.
Smith was left hindered by a leg injury in Saturday's pre-season clash with St Kilda at Princes Park, with the Blues initially confident their Pick 3 selection had avoided anything serious.
Further assessment of the injury has revealed Smith has torn his ACL, with surgery bringing an end to his 2025 season before it started.
โIt certainly was not the news we were expecting and we really feel for Jagga, he has not put a foot wrong from the second he walked into the football club back in November,โ Carlton football boss Brad Lloyd said in a club update.ย
โJagga possesses incredible professionalism for someone so young and an absolute dedication to push himself to get better every single day โ two qualities which will have him in a strong mindset to progress through every stage of his rehab.
โWhile it is really unfortunate we won't see Jagga out of the field this season, he will continue to soak up as much knowledge as he can from his teammates and coaches during his first year in the AFL system, before setting himself to attack his second season head on.โ
Carlton traded up to Pick 3 over the off-season to attain Smith's services in November, with the Oakleigh. Chargers ball magnet enjoying a stellar draft campaign that saw him named captain of the U18 All-Australian side.
The injury comes after Carlton lost defender Nic Newman to a patella tendon injury that has likely placed the veteran backman on the sidelines for the entirety of the coming campaign.
Carlton will also be without utility Alex Cincotta for the start of the season due to a hip injury, while spearhead Charlie Cunrow is no certainty of suiting up for Round 1 against Richmond after requiring a procedure on his knee.
Midfielder Sam Walsh is a chance to feature against GWS in the Blues' next pre-season game as he eyes a return from a hamstring injury.
Corey Durdin, Adam Saad and Nick Haynes also came away from the weekend's practice game with injury concerns, with the trio not involved in the Blues' latest injury update.
