Carlton skipper Marc Murphy is in danger of missing the rest of the AFL season due to an ankle injury he suffered in round 10.
Murphy was expected to miss about three weeks after suffering the high ankle sprain in the Blues' upset win over Geelong, but he continues to be hampered by the problem.
He won't play against Brisbane on Saturday and, with just two games remaining after that, he's running out of time to feature again this season.
"I've tried to do everything I can to get back playing, but it hasn't allowed me to unfortunately," Murphy told RSN927 on Wednesday.
"In terms of trying to get back next week or the week after I'm still trying to push for that but whether or not it pulls up well enough and I get through remains to be seen."
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Carlton coach Brendon Bolton remains hopeful Murphy will return before the end of the season, and says it's been a frustrating period for his captain.
"We're really hopeful but the syndesmosis (ankle) injury is one that's really niggling," Bolton told reporters on Wednesday.
"It's been a little frustrating because it's hard to put a timeline on it ... it's just how it's responding from week to week.
"But Murph is starting to train with the group now, so we're hopeful that before the end of the year he plays."
Bolton said no thought had yet been given to ruling out the 29-year-old for the rest of this campaign to allow him to return to full health with an eye on pre-season training.
Murphy's time on the sidelines has coincided with a downturn in fortunes for the Blues, who will be attempting to snap an eight-game losing streak when they take on the Lions at the Gabba.
"We've been in games and against quality opposition we've just lacked some polish to be able to finish," Bolton said.
"There's constant commentary about it ... we're developing and between now and the end of the year we want to keep evolving.
"Over pre-season we need to evolve so that we're not only a team that gives effort but we can hurt (teams) on turnover."
