CARLTON young gun Charlie Curnow is set for an extended stint on the sidelines after being diagnosed with glandular fever.

The 191cm forward, recruited to the Blues with pick 12 in last year’s draft, has returned home to Bellbrae — 25 kilometres south of Geelong — where he will recover from the illness.

The teenager will miss an indefinite period as he recovers, disrupting what has been a promising start to his career.

Curnow has played four matches after making his debut in Round 2, booting three goals and averaging three marks per game. However, he missed the club’s 15-point victory over Essendon on Sunday.

Round 18

His illness compounds Carlton’s injury woes, with a host of young players now sidelined.

Last year’s No. 1 pick Jacob Weitering is likely to miss next week’s clash with Collingwood due to a shoulder injury sustained on Sunday, while fellow first-round draftee Harry McKay is out for three months due to a stress fracture in his back, suffered in March.

Curnow is one of a number of young players to be diagnosed with glandular fever recently.

St Kilda’s father-son draftee Bailey Rice missed around two months earlier this season due to the illness, while West Coast rookie Alec Waterman remains sidelined after being diagnosed with the viral infection in July last year.