Carlton will play their traditional season-opener against Richmond at the MCG on Thursday night without Charlie Curnow, opting to take a cautious approach with their star spearhead.

Blues coach Michael Voss confirmed on Sunday morning at Ikon Park that Curnow, who had surgery in February to remove a screw from an old knee injury that was causing some discomfort, would be held out of round one.

However, midfield star and fellow Carlton vice-captain Sam Walsh will face the Tigers – barring a setback – after recovering from a hamstring strain sustained in January.

“We’ve decided to be a bit more patient there,” Voss said of Curnow.

“He’s back training, and you’ll see him running around today [at training], and you’ll see him moving around really, really well, and you’ll sort of think, ‘God, why isn’t he playing?’ but we need to get some work under his belt.

“He’s had a really good week-and-a-half, two weeks. We feel like [by getting] another week under his belt, he’s going to be in a really strong position to not only just get him back, but we obviously need him thriving for another 20-plus games.”

Curnow, who arrived at training on a push-bike, has resumed full training and is expected to return against Hawthorn in round two.

Curnow’s absence against Richmond means Harry McKay and Brodie Kemp will be the Blues’ main aerial targets.

The dual Coleman medallist has played 69 games and kicked 202 goals across the past three seasons after making only 15 senior appearances between 2019-21 because of repeated knee issues.