CARLTON FOOTBALL CLUB have revealed that Cork native Ciaran Sheehan will not return to Aussie Rules action until the 2016 season.
The 24 year-old has not featured to date in the 2015 campaign and there were hopes that he would come back from injury to play this season.
The Blues Head of Football Andrew McKay has admitted that the club are unlikely to see Sheehan back involved before the conclusion of this year’s AFL season.
“Ciaran Sheehan’s had a couple of operations … the progression has been slightly slower than we would have liked with a couple of hiccups, but certainly nothing major,” McKay said.
“The good thing about having those operations during the season is that he will be right to go ready for pre-season 2016.”
It’s been a disappointing season for Sheehan as he attempted to build on the progress he made in 2014 when he made his AFL debut for Carlton in a Round 20 game against the Gold Coast.
Carlton have six games left in a 2015 campaign that has seen them struggle with only three wins from 16 matches. They also changed coach after Round 8 when Mick Malthouse departed and John Barker was chosen as his replacement.
Sheehan went on to make three further AFL appearances at the end of the season for the Melbourne-based club and won Carlton’s best first-year player award.
At the start of this season Sheehan was listed by the Blues as a Nominated Rookie, meaning that he was available for selection for every game this season.
Sheehan moved to Carlton in November 2013 after a GAA career that saw him win an All-Ireland U21 medal in 2009 and an All-Ireland senior medal in 2010.
