Chris Judd's delayed start to the season will extend a little longer than first expected. 

Judd had surgery on his Achilles last month and it's taking longer than expected to mend. 

Carlton's GM – Football Operations Andrew McKay says the Club has opted to take a conservative approach with Judd's return. 

"I wouldn't call it a setback, but certainly (he has been) a little slower to recover than we would have liked," McKay said. 

"So we've decided to take the pressure off Chris and just push that start date back to Round 5, just to give him a little bit more time to recover and certainly get fit before he makes an assault on the season."

Better news on the injury front for vice-captain Andrew Carrazzo – he has returned to full training after a calf injury interrupted his pre-season. 

Meanwhile Dennis Armfield and Sam Docherty are both a week away from returning from knee injuries. 

Injury List

Armfield (knee) – 1 week

Byrne (tendinitis) – 4 weeks

Carrazzo (calf) – 1 week

Docherty (knee) – 1 week

Judd (Achilles) – 3 weeks