Carlton Football Club has released a bombshell of an announcement. All Australian forward Charlie Curnow will miss Sunday’s clash against Fremantle in Perth. Curnow reiterated last week that he would not go under the knife to remedy his long-term knee problems. Contrary to his asserted claim, this is the decision that has been made. The 28-year-old forward has been battling knee injuries for the past several years. He lost two full football seasons from 2019 to 2021 due to these injuries.
Curnow experienced soreness after last Thursday’s defeat to Hawthorn, leading to more tests being conducted by the club’s medical team. The evaluation showed that moving forward with play would put his complex recovery from this serious injury in real danger. All of this would be bad enough, but it gets worse—Curnow wanted to play out the season. The club has vetoed his preference, convinced that their move is the smarter play.
Brad Lloyd, Carlton’s football boss, emphasized the importance of prioritizing Curnow’s long-term health.
“We would have loved to have him out there for the remaining games,” – Brad Lloyd
They didn’t jump at it without thinking. They were still determined though to allow Curnow to take the necessary time to completely heal in the off-season.
“After further consultation this week it became clear that this would give Charlie the best chance to get himself right, recover fully over the off-season and be ready for when we return for the start of pre-season. Waiting until the end of the season could have impacted that, so we’ve taken the sensible approach.” – Brad Lloyd
His scoring touch this year has just been ridiculous, scoring 32 goals in 18 games. Five years on, he has fully returned to form, even in 2023 becoming a dual Coleman medallist after battling back from his earlier injuries. Despite his individual success, the Blues team has had a dismal 2023 season and is currently not in contention for finals.
Recently, Curnow addressed rumors about potentially requesting a trade, including speculation about a move to the Gold Coast Suns. He resolutely refused to entertain any speculation about his leaving Carlton, even if just to assert his loyalty to the club he was leaving.
