Mick missing half of his midfield

New Carlton coach Mick Malthouse, right, with club president Stephen Kernahan. Picture: Wayne Ludbey. Source: Herald Sun

MICK Malthouse will be missing half of his elite midfield group when Carlton players reassemble for the new coach's first pre-season workout later this month.

Prolific possession-winner Marc Murphy and No.1 ruckman Matthew Kreuzer won't be allowed to rejoin full training until after Christmas, following corrective surgery.

The pair, part of the Blues' first-choice on-ball unit with Chris Judd and Andrew Carrazzo, were among the high-profile victims of Carlton's shocking injury toll this season that ultimately cost Brett Ratten the senior coaching job.

Murphy needed an operation on the fractured left shoulder that forced him out for six matches mid-season. He also had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee to allow him to work at full pace in 2013.

Kreuzer bravely toiled for 20 games, despite further damage to the left knee that required reconstruction surgery in the second half of the 2010 season.

Blues football operations manager Andrew McKay said a specialist decided not to insert the standard metal plate into Murphy's shoulder blade to avoid possible nerve complications.

"He had a fracture rather than a displacement," McKay said.

"So they left it and made sure he didn't move it for a long time, and it healed normally because they were concerned if they plated it, it might impinge on the nerve. Now there's a bit of fibrous tissue that's formed and they went in and got rid of that.

"We've just got to manage the knee until Christmas and I imagine he'll be able to train by about December."

Kreuzer will be on a restricted program when Malthouse officially starts working with the players at Visy Park on Melbourne Cup eve.

"He had a partial meniscus (cartilage) tear," McKay said.

"He played with it the whole year and he's had that tidied up."

Defender Andrew McInnes, recovering from a knee reconstruction, began work on a stationary bike last week and will steadily build to a May return.

McKay said Carlton was far better placed to start pre-season training than last year, particularly with several operations, including ruckman-forward Shaun Hampson (knee) and backman Lachie Henderson (hip), late in the season to ensure they're ready to go on November 5.

"We had 20 odd surgeries at the end of last season and a lot of those guys didn't get back into full training until Christmas or after Christmas. But that's not the case this year," he said.

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