Carlton defender Zac Williams has ruptured his ACL and will miss the 2023 season.
Williams, 28, suffered the blow at training, with the club confirming the worst on Saturday.
Williams joined Carlton at the end of 2020 on a lucrative six-year deal, but has struggled to remain on the field as a myriad of injury blows hampered him.
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He played just nine senior games in 2022 and 14 in 2021, but had been showing positive signs in the pre-season before his latest setback.
“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,” Carlton football boss Brad Lloyd said.
“He will undergo surgery to repair his ACL and from there, we will put a rehabilitation program in place for him over the next 12 months.
“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.”
The Blues also confirmed forward Sam Philp had undergone surgery this week on a stress fracture in his foot.
Carlton’s latest injury blow means the side will be without Williams and star midfielder Sam Walsh for the start of the season, with Walsh undergoing surgery on a bulging disc at the end of 2022.
