CARLTON star Sam Walsh is still dealing with the back injury that ended his 2022 campaign and doesn't have a clear timeline around his return to full fitness.

The 22-year-old didn't train with the Blues at Ikon Park on Wednesday and hasn't been involved in the pre-Christmas training block. 

Walsh missed the final game of the home and away season – the round 23 loss to Collingwood that ended Carlton's finals chances – due to the issue and is continuing to manage the problem almost four months on. 

The Geelong Falcons product has made a brilliant start to life in the AFL, playing 81 of 83 games since being selected at pick No.1 in the 2018 NAB AFL Draft, winning the Rising Star Award, All-Australian selection and a John Nicholls Medal – he has never finished lower than fourth in the best and fairest – in his first four seasons. 

Carlton senior assistant coach Ash Hansen is confident Walsh will be fit in time for the Blues' season opener against Richmond in 92 days' time, despite the lack of clarity right now.

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"There is no immediate timeline at the moment. We certainly know with his training history, and the quality of athlete that he is, he probably won't need a long time to prepare himself for the season," Hansen told AFL.com.au on Wednesday.

"He has been pretty diligent with the guidance and the work that he is putting in. We're still pretty confident that he'll be right for round one. We're not sure when he is going to ramp out because they can turn pretty quickly."

Walsh suffered a syndesmosis injury in February and was initially expected to miss the first month of last season following surgery, but the ball-magnet managed to make a return after missing only one game, before playing the next 20 games to finish third in the best and fairest and earn selection in the 44-man All-Australian squad. 

Inside midfielder George Hewett took the next step in his recovery from back surgery, returning to training for the first time on Wednesday as the former Swan – who finished fifth in the John Nicholls Medal, despite only playing 15 games in 2022 – builds into his second pre-season at Ikon Park. 

"He started integrating (back into training) today, which is really pleasing. He has made really positive progress along the way, hit the milestones that he's needed to," Hansen said.

"He'll have a really important few weeks over the Christmas period, so then when we return in January he should be back in the main group really quickly."

After missing the final three games of the season due to a foot problem, Matt Kennedy has transitioned back into the main group following surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury. 

Hansen said the former Giant, who finished ninth in the best and fairest following a career-best campaign in 2022, has been rewarded for his dedication over the break with a return to full fitness ahead of schedule. 

"The right time of the year in a way to repair those type of injuries, because they can take a bit of time. As we saw today, he is starting to move really well," he said.

"He has been super diligent with his rehab. He committed to that in the off-season which is a tough period because it is the players' own time, but the professional that he is he did that and is tracking really well. He'll be back (in full training) in the new year as well."

Carlton ruckman Marc Pittonet is still on the recovery trail from a posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and expected to transition back into the main group later in the pre-season, while Corey Durdin is completing non-contact training following a shoulder reconstruction at the end of the season. 

Despite missing out on September for the ninth consecutive season, Carlton made significant inroads in Michael Voss' first season at the helm. 

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The Blues won 12 games – the most since 2013 – and looked set for a finals finish after starting the year 8-2 before a late season fade out resulted in missing out on September on percentage, after losing six of the final eight games, including the final four rounds. 

Carlton has been rewarded for a return to relevance with seven primetime Thursday and Friday night timeslots across the first 15 rounds, including the Good Friday clash against North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium in round four.

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