Sam Walsh, an injured Carlton superstar, has provided an update on his back ailment following his club’s Round 1 triumph over Richmond.
The Blues eventually defeated the Tigers in a nail-biting game at the MCG on Thursday night, winning by five points after trailing by eight at the final change.
After defeating Brisbane in barnstorming manner last Friday, Carlton won again without the prolific 23-year-old, who has missed his team’s first two 2024 games due to a troubling back condition.
Walsh claimed stiffness after a match simulation in February, and the Blues then ruled him out of their two pre-season games, as well as the first fortnight of the home-and-away season.
Carlton’s most recent update on Walsh’s condition was released on March 4, with the club noting he was “increasing loads as part of his modified training”, labeling his return ‘indefinite’, and stating there would be no more news until after its Round 2 bye.
However, appearing on Channel 7’s post-game show on Thursday, the 2018 Pick 1 provided an update on the latest developments as he prepares to return to play.
“I had a training session with the boys in rehab, so I felt half-productive about my day today, which was nice,” he remarked.
“Hopefully (I can return) within the next few weeks. It’s progressing well… You have to build these things up.
“The boys are holding it down pretty nicely at the moment, which is good.”
When asked about Walsh’s impending surgery, senior coach michael voss reacted with a defiant “no” on Thursday evening. Walsh has a history of back troubles.
Carlton football manager Brad Lloyd told SEN that the club did not want to fuel public speculation about their star’s injury, thus they did not provide regular updates.
“He’s really progressing where we need him to,” Lloyd told SEN on Thursday.
“So, I know there’s been a bit of commentary (over the last 24 hours), but, yeah, he’s hitting all the markers he needs to, progressing well,” Lloyd said.
“We’ve been saying all along that we’d wait until the bye to provide an update. Because of the nature of the injury, we don’t want to provide that running commentary and have to make minor tweaks every week, but he’s actually tracking well.
“We’ll get to the next week, regroup during the bye, and begin setting some timeframes for him. But, I believe for the Carlton fans out there, we’re really happy with where it sits.”
Carlton, 2-0 after two nail-biting victories, will now say goodbye before its Round 3 match against North Melbourne on Good Friday.
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