Carlton star forward Charlie Curnow will have a delayed start to the AFL pre-season after undergoing surgery to repair the ankle injury that cut short his 2024 campaign.
Curnow battled the left ankle concern in the latter stages of the home-and-away campaign, before limping off the field in a heavy defeat to Hawthorn in round 23.
The two-time Coleman Medal winner missed the following week and was unavailable for the elimination final against Brisbane, as the Blues crashed out of premiership contention.
Upcoming surgery means Curnow will return to pre-season training on a modified program.
"(Curnow) will undergo surgery to correct an ankle injury and will work through his rehabilitation over the off-season," the Blues said in a statement on Friday.
"(He) is expected to begin to integrate back into the training program when pre-season resumes in December."
Teammate Corey Durdin will also have surgery on his injured shoulder and is expected to build into contact training by January.
The news comes as Carlton confirmed talented forward Jack Martin is among five players cut from the list.
David Cuningham, Caleb Marchbank, Alex Mirkov and Dom Akuei have also been let go.
A priority draft selection by Gold Coast in 2012, Martin was a high-profile acquisition for the Blues at the end of 2019.
But the 29-year-old was restricted to just 54 games over five seasons, including three this year, while battling a raft of injuries.