BRENDON Bolton must be wondering whether he walked under a ladder this summer.

Less than two months out from a pivotal 2019 campaign that starts with an imposing round-one clash with Richmond, almost half of the players Bolton would realistically consider selecting in Carlton's strongest side are part of an extensive injury list.

Alex Fasolo's broken arm, sustained in an alcohol-fuelled incident on Saturday night, added to the wretched run of injury luck for the Blues in what has been a disastrous pre-season so far.

The club is adamant the large majority of those part of the injury list will be fit for selection come round one. However, it's less than an ideal preparation for a host of Blues.

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While questions have been raised – inevitably on social media, more than anywhere else – about the timing of the injuries combined with high-performance guru Andrew Russell's arrival, the majority have been unfortunate and unpreventable contact injuries.

Sam Docherty ruptured his troublesome left ACL for the second time in little over a year last December, doing so in an innocuous training incident. Prior to that, the new Carlton co-captain had drawn praise from club officials for tackling his rehab impeccably.

Small forward Jarrod Pickett then ruptured his patella tendon after a collision with Patrick Cripps at training just a fortnight later.

During the same session, Mitch McGovern landed awkwardly after his legs were taken from him in a marking contest and fractured his back.

Liam Jones fractured his hand in training during the first session back after Christmas, before Fasolo's broken arm completed a disastrous run for Carlton.

The remainder are lingering injuries that have carried over from a 2018 season that saw the Blues lose a host of key players, particularly late in the season.

Caleb Marchbank has a back issue that has hampered his preparations, Darcy Lang has a foot injury, Matthew Kreuzer has recently had a clean-out of his knee and Tom Williamson is still on modified duties after missing all of last season with a back problem.

Talented youngsters Zac Fisher, Lachie Plowman and Matthew Kennedy, among others, have since returned to full duties after delayed starts.

However, while this is far from ideal, Docherty and Pickett remain the only two players the club has officially ruled out of playing in round one.

Carlton hopes McGovern, Setterfield and Jones will be fully fit by the time it embarks on its training camp in Mooloolaba next week, while Kreuzer and Marchbank are a little further behind. Williamson is ready, though the club is taking a cautious approach with his return.

Fasolo and Lang remain extremely unlikely, but the Blues are confident the majority will stake their claim for a place to meet the Tigers at the MCG.

Where they're at: Carlton's injured 10

Mitch McGovern
He's running laps after suffering a non-displaced fracture of his back before Christmas. The club hopes he will back in full training in the next fortnight.

Will Setterfield
Still recovering from an ACL injury that ruined his 2018 season with the Giants. He's taking part in most drills now and the club expects him to re-join the main group in the next fortnight.

Caleb Marchbank
He's still running laps as he recovers from a back problem. He's taking part in a few drills, but it's fair to say his rehab is taking longer than the club perhaps first expected. Marchbank is likely to re-join the main group at some stage in February.

Liam Jones
Restricted to running laps recently due to a fractured hand. Expect him back in full training sooner, rather than later.

Darcy Lang
A foot problem has him on incredibly light duties. He still can't kick, so hasn't joined in ball drills. The club says he is "highly unlikely" to be fit for round one.

Darcy Lang's foot issue has him highly unlikely to be fit for round one. Picture: AFL Photos

Matthew Kreuzer
Had minor knee surgery last week. He isn't expected to re-join the main group until late in pre-season, but the club is still confident he will be in the frame for round one.

Sam Docherty
The new co-captain will miss most, if not all, of 2019 with a knee injury.

Jarrod Pickett
He remains a long way off returning from his knee injury.

Alex Fasolo
He's expected to miss six to eight weeks with a broken arm, which will more than likely rule him out of round one.

Tom Williamson
There had been concern for the defender after he sat out the last two sessions. But the club is adamant it is simply giving the youngster a breather after a brutal workload following a year out of the game with a debilitating back problem.