VETERAN ruck Matthew Kreuzer has made significant strides towards his return to football.

The stoic big man has returned to Queensland for the remainder of his rehabilitation from a fractured fifth metatarsal sustained in Round 1.

Director of High Performance Andrew Russell believes that Kreuzer’s return to hub life signifies an important milestone in his return to the field.

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“When he was home in Melbourne he had some scans on the foot,” Russell said. 

“It showed real healing on that fifth metatarsal which is great.

“He’s back in Queensland, he’s quarantining for a couple of weeks and then he’ll re-join the boys when we get back to Queensland.”

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Kreuzer will re-enter the group after Carlton’s three-week stint in Western Australia, with two remaining games against West Coast and Fremantle prior to returning to Queensland.

Having missed the first half of the season, an opportunity could still present itself for the ruck to make an impact in the back half of the year. 

“He’s back running, he’s doing really good rehab. This is the start of his journey back and we hope that it’ll all go well.”