Charlie Curnow will miss Sunday’s game against St Kilda, and Mitch McGovern is in serious doubt, which could be a significant setback to Carlton’s finals hopes.
Blues coach Michael Voss confirmed that Curnow would not play due to insufficient progress from the ankle injury he aggravated in round 22 against Hawthorn. Although Adam Saad will return from a hamstring injury, McGovern missed Carlton’s main training session on Friday and is on a modified program.
Voss didn’t rule out a potential miracle finals return for Sam Docherty, who is pushing to come back from the ACL tear he suffered during pre-season. Docherty participated in the main training session with his shoulder strapped for contact, but Curnow’s absence means Carlton will again rely on Brodie Kemp as a tall target against the Saints.
“We thought that Curnow might pull up well from some of the things he did the other day, but he hasn’t recovered as well as we expected,” Voss said.
“I think after he kicked four, I can confirm that Kemp will probably end up forward … he did a great job last week, and our forwards were able to share the load throughout the entire game,” Voss said.
McGovern’s hamstring tightness raises significant concerns about whether the Blues would risk their key defender, given his injury history. Voss mentioned that McGovern would be given “every opportunity” to prove his fitness for the Marvel Stadium clash.
“McGovern has got to get through a couple of things today. He won’t do as much as the others since he played last week,” Voss explained. “He’s scheduled a little bit differently from everyone else.”
Meanwhile, Harry McKay (quad), Adam Cerra, and Jack Martin (hamstring injuries) were seen running laps at strong pace at Ikon Park, as they aimed to return if the Blues advance to the finals.
Voss mentioned that he couldn’t focus on finals selection until the team secures this weekend’s result but jokingly added that his ladder predictor had the Blues finishing fourth with a double chance.
He noted that with so many variables in play, especially with senior players returning, Docherty wasn’t guaranteed a spot even if he was deemed fit to play.
“He’s progressing really well, joining in the main training. You’ll probably see him out there again today,” Voss said. “He knocks on my door every single day, and I tell him to come back next week, and we’ll see where it goes from there. I’ve told him, ‘When you’re ready, we’ll consider it.’ I’d love to give him that chance because it would mean we’re playing finals footy.”
Small forward Corey Durdin trained fully with his heavily strapped shoulder, which he dislocated against West Coast, and could retain his spot after an impressive performance. Voss is also weighing up whether to recall Orazio Fantasia.
GET MORE NEWS HERE
Leave a Reply