Carlton gun Sam Walsh has been placed on a modified program ahead of the club's season opener in Queensland early next month after the ball magnet's back flared during the Blues' recent intra-club hitout.
Following last Monday's mate-versus-mate clash at Princes Park, the former number one draft pick reported feeling tightness in his back, withย The Ageย reporting Walsh is now set to be restricted over the final portion of the summer.
At present, Walsh is said to be set to miss Carlton's opening pre-season clash against Geelong on Thursday, however, a call on whether the midfielder will miss the Blues' second fixture against Melbourne a week later is yet to be determined.
Given this ambiguous timeline, it is yet to be seen whether Walsh will make the trip north to face Brisbane at the Gabba in the league's inaugural Opening Round.
Since walking through the doors on Royal Parade ahead of the 2019 season, the Rising Star winner and one-time All-Australian has missed just nine senior matches, lacing the boots for the Blues on 99 occasions.
Walsh, however, has gone under the knife to ease previous back troubles, with the Geelong Falconsย sitting out Carlton's agonising Round 23 loss to Collingwood in 2022 before undergoing surgery that off-season.
The Blues and Lions are set to square off in a repeat of their preliminary final fixture on Friday, March 8.
