DALE Thomas will remain on a modified training program until Christmas, but the Carlton midfielder believes he's on track to put his recent injury woes behind him in 2016.

Thomas, 28, has been dogged by injury since his 2011 All Australian season, undergoing three operations on his right ankle in his final two seasons at Collingwood, 2012 and 2013.

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The 2010 premiership player managed 20 games in his first season at Carlton but did so on the back of an extremely limited 2014 pre-season.

This year, Thomas dislocated his left shoulder in the opening minute of the Blues' round one loss to Richmond. He returned in round six but played just four games before opting to undergo season-ending surgery in June.

"I'm feeling pretty good. I'm still on lighter duties until Christmas but the shoulder seems to have recovered really well," Thomas told Carlton's website on Thursday.

"Obviously, it was disappointing not to have played much footy last year.

"But it has given the ankle another chance to recover, so that's feeling really good, the shoulder's feeling good and hopefully (I can) keep cracking in, (do) a lot of hard work over the pre-season and my luck can change."

The Blues have welcomed 15 new players to the club since the end of last season as they embark on a youth-based rebuild.

Thomas is embarking on his 11th AFL pre-season this year and wants to set the example on the training track for his younger teammates.

"The goal personally is to keep training really hard, try and set the standards out there and teach these young boys we've got into the club where we want to get to and how we're going to get there," he said.

Dale Thomas spars with Andrejs Everitt at Carlton training. Picture: AFL Media





Hands up who's ready for a big 2016? Dale Thomas leads the way for the young Blues. Picture: AFL Media