CARLTON forward Charlie Curnow will miss the rest of 2019 after suffering increased pain after his latest knee injury.
Sidelined after suffering a medial ligament setback in round 15, the 22-year-old will now turn his attention to the 2020 pre-season.
Charlie Curnow suffered a 'low grade medial' injury to his right knee, according to Carlton's head of football Brad Lloyd. #AFLFreoBlues pic.twitter.com/Ebx3kW0HuF
— AFL (@AFL) June 30, 2019
Curnow was slated for a return inside three to four weeks, however his failed attempt to ramp up training will see the Blues take an ultra-cautious approach.
"[With] Charlie's knee, initially we were really pleased with how it handled straight-line running," Blues director of high performance Andrew Russell said.
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"Since last week, we've taken him off straight line and done a little bit of agility work with him and he's had increased pain and awareness in his knee.
"This is to do with the bone bruising in his knee, which he had at the same time as he had his medial ligament injury."
Defender Hugh Goddard is expected to be deemed fit after injuring his cheekbone in round 17.
A decision on David Cuningham's return from a knee injury will come after training on Thursday.