CARLTON midfielder Jagga Smith will be sidelined for the 2025 AFL season after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament.

Smith walked off the field following a tackling incident towards the end of the third quarter of Saturday’s practice match against St Kilda.

He underwent subsequent scans today which confirmed the extent of the injury, with Smith to undergo surgery before commencing his rehabilitation towards a full recovery.

“It certainly was not the news we were expecting and we really feel for Jagga, he has not put a foot wrong from the second he walked into the football club back in November,” Carlton General Manager of Football Brad Lloyd said.

“Jagga possesses incredible professionalism for someone so young and an absolute dedication to push himself to get better every single day – two qualities which will have him in a strong mindset to progress through every stage of his rehab.

“While it is really unfortunate we won’t see Jagga out of the field this season, he will continue to soak up as much knowledge as he can from his teammates and coaches during his first year in the AFL system, before setting himself to attack his second season head on.”