Carlton have been dealt a savage blow on the eve of the season with Zac Williams rupturing his ACL at training.
The 28-year-old will have surgery this week and has been ruled out for the season.
Zac Williams has had no luck since joining CarltonCredit:Getty
The injury toll is growing at the Blues with young forward Sam Philp also suffering a stress fracture to the second metatarsal in his foot which required surgery.
Carlton’s head of football Brad Lloyd confirmed that Williams suffered the injury at training on Friday, with the club on a camp in Queensland this week.
“These incidents are so unfortunate and we are all feeling for Zac, he could not have done any more this pre-season to get himself ready for the year,” Lloyd said.
“He has had more than his fair share of bad luck with injury, Zac, but in that time he has built up a lot of resilience, which he will no doubt tap into, as we all support him on his road to recovery from here.”
Williams was primed for a big season – his third at Carlton – after a frustrating first two years at the club since arriving from the Giants on a six-year deal to play as a midfielder.
He has played just 23 games in those two seasons missing all but the final home and away game after round nine last year when he suffered a high-grade calf injury.
The Blues used him as a running defender last season and were looking forward to his rebound alongside Adam Saad this year with Sam Docherty preparing to play in the midfield more often.
Williams’ injury, and to a lesser extent Philp’s, will raise further questions for the club hierarchy as they endured a shocking run of injuries last season which derailed their finals chances. Philp has played just two games since being pick 20 in the 2019 national draft.
President Luke Sayers said injury management had been an area of focus during the off-season, but the Blues are uncertain when star midfielder Sam Walsh will return from back surgery (they hope within the first month of the season) and Matt Cottrell has a navicular stress fracture. Caleb Marchbank and David Cuningham are on modified programs.
The Blues are desperate to make finals, having just missed out last season, with the AFL banking on their rise by delivering them primetime fixtures for the season ahead. Their strong list is led by Brownlow medallist Patrick Cripps, forwards Harry McKay and Charlie Curnow, defender Jacob Weitering and Walsh, who would be considered among the best top five players at any club in the competition.
