Carlton have suffered an early blow ahead of the 2024 campaign with key defender Jacob Weitering straining his calf, which is likely to sideline him for an extended period.Blues said the scans confirmed Weitering’s high quality calf strain.”The injury occurred in today’s main training session and scans confirmed a severe calf strain,” Carlton said in a statement.”The injury will be reviewed in the coming weeks to determine a timetable for a return to action.”Weitering, 26, was an integral member of Carlton’s line-up when the club reached the finals last season before losing the opening final to the Brisbane Lions.Weitering played 159 matches in eight seasons. He is at the peak of his career and won the club’s second best and fairest award in 2023.Blues coach Michael Voss recognized Weitering’s importance after he beat fellow midfielder Nic Newman to win the John Nicholls Medal in October.“Jacob is very concerned about his teammates and the club. “To see him with our club’s highest individual honor tonight is fantastic for a Carlton man who has shown significant growth in all aspects of his career over the past 12 months,” Voss said.“It’s easy to see the best and fairest winner just by their performance on the court. That’s just a by-product though, Jakob’s win tonight is about the work he’s done off the pitch, not just himself, but as manager of the whole football club.”His strong defensive leadership came through not only in the second half of the year, but when we needed it most during this difficult period.”.