Carlton's David Cuningham will play his first game in 685 days when he pulls on the boots for the Blues in the VFL on Saturday against GWS.
Cuningham has faced numerous setbacks since suffering an ACL injury midway through the 2021 season, with his most recent AFL appearance coming in Round 9 that year against Melbourne.
After overcoming the knee injury that kept him sidelined for the entirety of the 2022 season, Cuningham suffered yet another setback earlier this year when a shoulder injury at training placed the midfield-forward back in the casualty ward at Princes Park.
The 26-year-old has undergone a walked a long path to be deemed fit to play once again, with Carlton confirming on Friday that Cuningham will play for the club's reserves at GIANTS Stadium this weekend.
The return will also be Cuningham's first in the VFL since 2021, where he played in the side's season opener before locking in his spot at senior level for four successive matches before suffering a cruel blow.
Cuningham has played 41 games for the Blues, his first coming in 2016. The Canterbury product has managed to play more than nine games in a season just once since being drafted in 2015.
Carlton's reserves made two changes for their Round 2 clash with the Giants, with AFL-listed defender Sam Durdin among the outs due to a hamstring injury.
The Blues' VFL side failed to claim a win in their season opener against Geelong last week, with Luke Power's side hopeful of overcoming the Giants this weekend to snatch their first win of the season.
