Curnow could be out until round three; Bullants board says no to Thomas

Daftar Isi

Injury woes: Curnow to return by round three

Charlie Curnow's latest surgery might put his season debut at risk until round three, but Sam Walsh is expected to be back for Carlton's first game as the Blues come to terms with the reality of losing their prized recruit to injury for the season.

From his knee last week, marking his third surgery since last season, but Blues skipper Patrick Cripps said the two-time Coleman medallist didn't need a long lead-up before playing.

"He's a weird bloke, so he's probably the one bloke who doesn't fit the usual mould for pre-season," Cripps said on Monday.

“He's actually going pretty well at the moment.”

“I'm not sure if he's playing in round one ... if it's not round one, it's round two or three.”

The player ruptured his ACL during a practice match against St Kilda on Saturday.

After Smith got injured, the Blues on Monday promoted VFL sensation Will White to their AFL team. The 20-year-old will wear the number 38 guernsey. He's the second player to join the Blues in the past week, following Francis Evans, who also arrived from Geelong and Port Adelaide as a small forward.

"It's not the call you want to get on a Sunday," Cripps said of Smith's injury.

“Fair dinkum, when you're an 18-year-old kid who's worked bloody hard and is just a stone's throw away from making their debut, it's a real pity. I had a good yarn with him yesterday.”

I reckon the thing for him is … he's going to play a lot of footy for this footy club. It's a small speed hump in his journey, his career. He's going to be a ripper of a player for us for a long time.

Cripps also said Walsh, who had been in some doubt for first round due to a hamstring injury, would play.

But the Blues captain was less certain about ruckman Tom De Koning. The free agent was open to expensive offers from other teams and Cripps was keen to stay out of the negotiations.

“There’s a fair bit of stress on him, but you try to give him some room and let him work things out.”

“When they enter free agency, it's a massive decision for those blokes. Obviously, they'll be looking at a pretty big contract, I've been in the same situation myself, so you just offer your support.”

The Cricket Australia board has denied a request from Australian fast bowler Thomas.

Former North Melbourne midfielder Tarryn Thomas won't represent the Northern Bullants in 2025 after the VFL club's board ruled out signing the 24-year-old to their list.

The decision is a massive setback for Thomas' aspirations of reviving his career and returning to the AFL in the future.

Thomas was banned from footy at all levels last February after being found guilty of behaviour that didn't meet the standards of the game. The AFL Integrity Unit found he'd "engaged in multiple acts of misconduct including threatening a woman via direct messages multiple times".

However, those terms were relaxed only a couple of weeks ago to allow him to play for individual VFL clubs at state league level and any non-AFL affiliated clubs below the AFL.

The AFL's last-minute decision limited his choices, and all Victorian-based standalone clubs in the VFL, apart from the Northern Bullants, swiftly dismissed the possibility of Thomas joining their club.

However, Bullants coach Rohan Welsh said he was open to the idea of Thomas joining the club, provided the team, the board, and the sponsors gave the green light.

The board met on Sunday night and decided not to add him to their list. This decision means Thomas will have to play in a league lower than state level if he wants to stay in Victoria. The Australian Football League has already said he won't be eligible for the mid-season draft this year.

The Bullants have been struggling to get wins in recent years, finishing no higher than 18th in the past four seasons and managing only eight victories in that time.

Thomas played 69 games for North Melbourne between 2019-23 before his behavioural problems led to him being sacked by the club. He was pick No.8 in the 2018 national draft, joining the Kangaroos as a Next Gen Academy graduate.

Catch the latest AFL news and analysis from around the nation. Join the Real Footy mailing list .