Dual Coleman medallist Charlie Curnow sent a scare through Carlton on Saturday, while the return of a speedy Brisbane rebounder has been delayed indefinitely. Plus, St Kilda’s horror Friday on the training track.
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Carlton key forward Curnow is understood to have exited training early on Saturday, needing his right knee assessed at Ikon Park before promptly having scans done.
According to reports from the Herald Sun and AFL Media, Curnow, who has undergone ankle and knee surgeries this off-season, was forced to leave midway through the Blues’ three-hour session and underwent scans to determine if damage had been done.
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However, in a positive development, those scans revealed ‘no structural damage’ to Curnow’s knee, per AFL Media’s Riley Beveridge.
The 28-year-old has been on a modified program this pre-season as he builds his fitness in alignment with Carlton’s Round 1 clash against Richmond on March 13.
Keidean Coleman, on the comeback trail following a ruptured ACL at the start of last season, has hit a snag in his recovery process.
After swelling in the knee as his training loads were enhanced, the Lions are now unsure when the 24-year-old will be able to make a full return.
“The club will hold off from putting a timeframe on the return of Coleman, as it works through a revised program with the defender,” a club communication read on Friday.
“Due to Coleman experiencing some swelling as his training load increased, he will be given some time off running to allow his knee to settle before transitioning back to training.”
The left-footed speedster tore his anterior cruciate ligament in Brisbane’s Opening Round clash with Carlton in March 2024, subsequently missing out on the club’s premiership triumph in September — having played in the Lions’ narrow loss to Collingwood in the 2023 decider.
The ‘23 campaign was a career-best one for Coleman, who played 23 games and averaged 17.0 disposals, 5.2 marks and 3.1 inside-50s in a damaging half-back role.
As for the other three Lions who suffered ACL tears last year, Lincoln McCarthy, Darcy Gardiner and Tom Doedee, the club says McCarthy and Gardiner are roughly four weeks away — right in line with its Opening Round meeting with Geelong — while Doedee, still yet to make his Brisbane debut after arriving in 2023, is seven-to-nine.
Star forward Max King left the ground in the first quarter with a knee issue, while gun defender Jack Sinclair (hamstring) and Mason Wood (quad) were also casualties from Friday’s match simulation at RSEA Park.
While he still may miss time, SEN’s Sam Edmund reported King had promisingly ‘avoided ACL damage’.
St Kilda EGM Football David Misson said further information would be provided once scan results are back.
“We’ll provide further information once we have those results,” David Misson said.
“We understand the interest in Max, Mason and Jack, but until we have the scan results, we’re working in hypotheticals which is irresponsible.
“The club will provide an update in due course.”
If any of the trio were to miss time, it would be a huge blow for the Saints who have already lost Dougal Howard (shoulder), Paddy Dow (leg infection) and Mattaes Phillipou (leg stress fracture) to injury this pre-season.
King had a poor 2024 campaign by his standards but had been training the house down over summer, participating in training and drills without strapping for the first time in a long time.
Wood is one of coach Ross Lyon’s most important players given his running ability on the wing, while Sinclair is a star in his own right across the half-back line, or through the midfield.