Carlton star provides latest on his departure after been shut down by coach*

Sidelined Carlton star Sam Walsh remains hopeful he’ll return to the Blues’ side in the coming weeks as the club shoots down suggestions the Rising Star winner will need surgery on his ailing back.

Walsh has been ruled out of action until after the club’s Round 2 bye at the very least, missing last week’s comeback victory over Brisbane at the Gabba and Thursday’s thrilling win over Richmond due to the injury.

The All-Australian midfielder was sidelined with a back issue at the end of the 2022 season and would miss the start of the subsequent season, with a much shorter turnaround expected for Walsh with his current injury battle.

Reports of Walsh potentially undergoing surgery in the coming weeks were refuted by senior coach Michael Voss on Thursday night, with the Blues boss stressing the club is taking the right approach and could see their young gun available in the short term.

While Voss didn’t give a clear indication on Walsh’s likely return, the midfielder himself said he’s hoping to be back soon.

“I’m going well. I had a training session with the boys in rehab today, so I felt half-productive about my day, which was nice,” Walsh told Channel 7 following Thursday’s win.

“Hopefully within the next couple of weeks (I’ll return). It’s tracking well, these things you’ve got to build up.

“The boys are holding it down pretty nicely at the moment, which is good.”

The Blues will be afforded a week’s break following two close contests to start the year, with a Round 2 bye scheduled after Carlton took part in Opening Round last week.

That bye could allow injured defender Jacob Weitering to return in either Round 3 against North Melbourne on Good Friday or via the Blues’ meeting with Fremantle in Adelaide for Gather Round.

Weitering has been sidelined since early this year with a significant calf strain, while fellow backman Caleb Marchbank is likely to be available for the Blues’ next game after dealing with a recent illness.

A knee injury has kept forward Jack Martin sidelined to start the season, with no clear return date set for the former Suns player, while Jesse Motlop is expected to be in line to play after the club’s bye as he nurses a toe issue.

Carlton face North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium on Friday, March 29 in a match that could see the Blues start their campaign with three wins from as many matches for the second time since 2012.