Carlton has provided injury updates on a host of key players ahead of their season-opener against Richmond next Thursday night.
Harry McKay (ankle) and Jack Newnes (ankle) are both racing the clock to prove their fitness while Mitch McGovern is likely to miss Round 1 with back stiffness.
Carlton’s Director of High-Performance Andrew Russell said McKay and Newnes will undergo fitness tests early next week.
“Harry stirred his ankle up against Essendon and it settled down really well before the St Kilda game,” Russell told Carlton’s website.
“He stepped on someone’s ankle again, there’s a bit of bad luck sometimes. He’s settling down and he’s very similar to ‘Newnesy’. He'll be a test early in the week where we see if he's available.
“Back stiffness for Mitch McGovern - and not the hamstring injury he has now recovered from - has all but ruled him out for the season-opener.
“We haven’t quite been able to get the work in that we’ve wanted to get in, so it looks like that he’ll miss Round 1.”
Caleb Marchbank is also a doubt with a calf injury.
"We're really happy with the way he's moving. We just need to make a decision on when we think he's ready to play AFL footy,” Russell said.
In better news for the Blues, Jacob Weitering (hip), Levi Casboult (knee) and Eddie Betts (calf) are all expected to be available to face the reigning premiers.
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