Matthew Kreuzer Biography

Matthew Kreuzer is named the Carlton's ruck coach for 2021.

"I loved my 13 years playing in the navy blue guernsey and to now have the chance to help the next generation come through is a great opportunity," Kreuzer said.

"I want this club to have the ultimate success and to still be able to play a role in helping us achieve that is an opportunity I am looking forward to and can't wait to get to work when pre-season begins."

Matthew Kreuzer could be sidelined for up to four months after landing awkwardly and fracturing his fifth metatarsal in a ruck contest against Richmond in the Blues' 2020 season-opener.

Carlton is confident ruckman Matthew Kreuzer will take his place in next week's Marsh Community Series match despite undergoing a heart procedure.

The 30-year-old's pre-season preparation won't be impacted by the routine operation and he has already re-joined main training.

Matthew Kreuzer will take his first steps towards an AFL return from a knee injury this week when he plays in a VFL intra club match at Ikon Park.

Matthew Kreuzer undergoes minor knee surgery but the Blues are confident it won't hamper his preparations for round one.

"We don't expect it to be a major interruption and we're really confident he's going to get back to be doing some game-play late in the pre-season and be ready for round one," Carlton's director of high performance Andrew Russell said.

Matthew Kreuzer will undergo a small procedure in order to correct an elevated heart rate that has ruled him out for the remainder of the 2018 season.

"The cardiologist is going to do a small procedure with Matthew that will prevent his heart rate elevating again," Carlton footy boss Andrew McKay said.

"He'll be out for the rest of the year, which is disappointing for him, but on the bright side he'll be back ready to start pre-season as normal."

Carlton coach Brendon Bolton admits he can't be certain if Matthew Kreuzer's heart trouble will be career-threatening, conceding the star ruckman needs to undergo more testing before being given the all clear.

Kreuzer was named to return on Sunday after suffering an elevated heart rate in round 17 but was withdrawn before the Blues' 29-point loss to Fremantle.

The 29-year-old flew to Perth but experienced concerning symptoms during a light run on Saturday and will be sidelined for the rest of 2018.

"I think these things can come under control but you've got to go and do the testing to find that out," Bolton said.

"His heart rate is getting elevated – or it has twice now – when he's exerting himself.

"It came down pretty quickly (on Saturday). It was only for a small amount of time, but that's enough to say you don't take any risk."

Matthew Kreuzer will undergo further tests to learn the full extent of his elevated heart rate that sent a shock through the Blues' camp during their Friday night loss to St Kilda.

"I was out of breath, I couldn't run at all and felt like I couldn’t even move," Kreuzer said.

"I've never had something like it, the doctor diagnosed it as an SVT (Supraventricular Tachycardia).

"My heart was going really quick and wouldn’t settle. I had to take something to relax it and settle it down, it's all good now."

Matthew Kreuzer leaves the field just minutes into the first quarter of Carlton's clash with St Kilda due to a shortness of breath, with tests later revealing an elevated heartbeat.

"He had shortness of breath and, quite randomly, you wouldn't believe it but an elevated heart rate," Carlton coach Brendon Bolton told reporters after the game.

"That settled down and he's OK now. It settled down pretty quickly, but we weren't going to take any risks with that. It was a funny one."

Matthew Kreuzer will be sidelined after being found to have suffered concussion in addition to an ankle injury against Collingwood.

It's unclear when the incident that caused Kreuzer's concussion was.

Matthew Kreuzer is determined to add an attacking edge to his game in 2018.

"I would like to hit the scoreboard a little bit more, so (I've been) just working on a little bit of forward line stuff. That's one part of my game I've got to grow," Kreuzer said.

"The way the game is going you've got to be able to play those multiple positions, so (I'm looking to) spend a little bit more time forward and also at getting down there while I'm in the ruck."

Marc Murphy will skipper the Blues for a sixth consecutive season in 2018.

Patrick Cripps and Sam Docherty are Murphy's new deputies in an eight-man leadership group including Kade Simpson, Ed Curnow and fresh faces Matthew Kreuzer, Alex Silvagni and Lachie Plowman.

Marc Murphy wins his second John Nicholls Medal as the Blues' best and fairest for 2017.

Murphy amassed 174 votes to edge out Sam Docherty (169) and Matthew Kreuzer (164).

"I'm enormously proud … to be a two-time winner of the John Nicholls Medal is pretty special," Murphy said.

"My family is probably enjoying it as well. I think my old man (John) won six best and fairests and my grandpa (Leo) won two, so I join them, which is good."

Matthew Kreuzer signs a new two-year deal with Carlton that will keep him at the club until the end of 2019.

"He has been elite in his preparation and managing his body throughout the year and working closely with our high performance team, which resulted in him playing 21 out of a possible 22 games this year," Carlton head of football Andrew McKay said.

"We're delighted Matthew will be remaining in the navy blue for a further two years. "

Patrick Dangerfield believes he will be cleared by the Match Review Panel over the tackle that left Carlton ruckman Matthew Kreuzer concussed.

"I haven't been cited for anything. I felt it was a fair tackle, there was no umpire's call at the time so I don't see an issue with it," Dangerfield said.

"I didn't even know it was an issue until I walked off the ground. Obviously we do media after the game, then I was briefed on it and said, 'I don't know what you are talking about'.

"Then they played me the vision. I said, 'I don't see an issue with it at all'."

Patrick Dangerfield's hopes of a second successive Brownlow Medal appear to be under a cloud with his heavy tackle on Matthew Kreuzer set to be scrutinised by the Match Review Panel.

Kreuzer suffered mild concussion when Dangerfield wrapped the ruckman up in a tackle early in the third quarter, pinned the Blue's arms and drove him into the ground after Kreuzer had disposed of the ball.

The Carlton big man took some time to get to his feet before eventually making his way to the bench, and went down the race for a concussion test.

However, Geelong coach Chris Scott said Dangerfield did not break the rules with his tackle.

"What I saw was he made the tackle, he was unaware whether the ball had spilled out so tried to take the player to ground and roll him in the tackle to avoid the in-the-back free kick, which is exactly the way we coach it," Scott said after the match.

"(It) wasn't a sling, that's for sure, don't think he deliberately drove him into the ground, so on that basis, and based on what we've seen the last couple of years, I would expect that would be fine."

Carlton skipper Marc Murphy is predicting a stellar 2017 for Matthew Kreuzer.

"Kreuzer has had an amazing pre-season. He's in as good a nick as I've seen him and I reckon he'll take the comp by storm," Murphy said.

"I'm excited by what he's going to show now that his body is in really good shape and he's been able to get through a full pre-season.

"His ruck work has been really elite and, with his follow up, he's almost like another midfielder when the ball hits the ground."

Matthew Kreuzer will undergo surgery and be sidelined for a month after suffering a meniscus tear in his left knee in the second quarter of the Blues' win over Port Adelaide.

Despite the injury, Kreuzer played out the match and kicked the match-winning goal against the Power.

"There was a level of awareness as to the extent of the injury sustained by Matthew during that second quarter, however there was no risk of further injury by him going back on the field," Carlton football manager Andrew McKay said.

"It is a real reflection on Matthew's character that he was able to endure and contribute so much to the win.

"We look forward to Matthew resuming training in the next couple of weeks and then returning to the team soon after."

Jarrod Witts said he made sure he set the record straight with coach Nathan Buckley and football manager Neil Balme after being linked to a trade with Carlton for Matthew Kreuzer.

"Bucks, Balmey and I had a meeting when there was speculation when Kreuzer was going to come to Collingwood," Witts told the club's website.

"And I said that, 'I'm still a contracted player at Collingwood and I still believe I've got a lot to offer this club and I want to stay at the club and I love the club and what it's done for me.'

"(I told them) 'I've still got something to prove.'"

Matthew Kreuzer puts months of speculation behind him, signing a two-year deal with Carlton that will keep him at the club until the end of 2017.

"There are good times ahead for us and I want to be a big part of restoring us as a successful club," Kreuzer said.

"Although this has been a challenging year for the club, I'm confident that the club's plan, along with a lot of hard work and sacrifice from everyone, will take us to where we all want to be in time.

"I'm really excited to be part of it."

Travis Cloke says he wants Matthew Kreuzer's company at Collingwood.

The Carlton ruckman is out of contract at season's end and earlier this week refused to rule out a move away from the Blues.

"Yeah, Kreuze! I actually get along pretty well with him and he's a good bloke," Cloke said.

"He's an exceptional footballer.

"I guess we've probably forgot how good he is til the last couple of weeks, we've seen his worth, how valuable he is, to the Carlton Footy Club.

"I reckon if he was in black and white he'd be a 10 times better footballer."

Out-of-contract Matthew Kreuzer is non-committal when asked about his future at Carlton.

"It's been tough for me over the past two years - I haven't really thought about it - the main focus for me (has been) just getting back on the park," Kreuzer said.

"I just want to get through these last couple of games and see where it goes but I love the club."

Matthew Kreuzer has not given up playing in the early rounds of the season despite suffering another foot fracture.

"It's only going to be a short period and there's hardly any damage, which is nice," Kreuzer said.

"Best case is hopefully [I'm] up and going pretty soon, at pretty much the start of the season, so that's what I'm aiming for.

"I've spoken to people who are saying that as well, so that's what we've got to hope for."

Carlton's head of football Andrew McKay says Matthew Kreuzer could be sidelined for longer than six weeks by the latest setback to his troublesome right foot.

"It will just depend on how long it takes for that bone to heal," McKay said.

"Best-case scenario will be four weeks, and we wouldn't scan it until after four weeks. We're hoping worst-case scenario will be six (weeks).

"It's not in the same spot that his previous fracture was. It's along the bone a little bit and it's a very stable fracture.

"It's in a different spot, so whether they're connected or not I'm not exactly sure … you would expect there's some connection there.

"(He's) very frustrated and very disappointed as you can imagine."

Carlton has been dealt a big blow with ruckman Matthew Kreuzer to miss the opening rounds of the 2015 season following a setback to his troublesome foot.

Kreuzer suffered discomfort at training last week and scans confirmed a hairline fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot.

The 25-year-old will be in a moonboot for four-to-six weeks before he is evaluated further.

The injury is the latest setback for the former No.1 NAB AFL Draft pick, whose 2014 campaign was derailed by a fracture in the same foot.

"It's exceptionally disappointing for Matthew given all the hard work he has put in to get his body back to peak shape, but we're confident he will play the majority of the season," Blues head of football Andrew McKay said.

Carlton coach Mick Malthouse says Matthew Kreuzer will spend more time up forward in 2015.

"We want him to play a lot of football forward and ruck," Malthouse said.

"He's undertaken that program to dedicate himself to be able to catch the football, put a bit of pressure on the tall backs and kick some goals."

Carlton Mick Malthouse says Matthew Kreuzer is on track in his return from foot surgery.

"We are really rapt the way he's going, but we're also not silly enough to think he's going to train the four days or five days of the week," Malthouse told SEN radio.

"We've got to make sure we get him through the season and at peak fitness through the season.

"If there was a game tomorrow he could play in it."

Matthew Kreuzer will have a second piece of surgery on his injured foot and is expected to be sidelined for at least the next three months.

"We have been monitoring Matthew's foot this week and although he has managed to participate in training, he is still experiencing significant pain," Carlton's football operations manager Andrew McKay said.

"His surgeon and our club doctor have determined it is in both Kreuzer's and the club's interests for him to have another procedure, to ensure he is fully fit to play a role in the later part of the season."

Carlton may be forced to explore different treatments on Matthew Kreuzer's nagging foot injury if it fails to heal through rest.

"We're just concerned that if we put too much load on it early on then it he will start feeling it again," Carlton football operations manager Andrew McKay said.

"Then you get the inconsistent performance I suppose when he gets on the field feeling alright to start with and then after a while not feeling all right with the dynamic movement in a game so we'd just rather get it right."

Matthew Kreuzer is ruled out of Carlton's cut-throat semi-final clash with Swans due to a foot injury he sustained early in the Blues' elimination final win over Richmond.

Matthew Kreuzer says he would like to remain at Carlton despite critical commentary from the media regarding his form in 2013 and suggestions he should be traded.

"I love the club, I've played here for my whole career so far and I'd like to keep it that way," Kreuzer said.

"You can't control what goes on outside, so all you can do is try to play competitive footy each week and take it from there."

Matthew Kreuzer is expected to be back sooner than expected from a broken thumb after successful surgery.

"He will be probably missing for three to four weeks, not seven or eight, because they were able to stabilise that bone really well," Carlton football operations manager Andrew McKay said.

Matthew Kreuzer will miss the next six to eight weeks of football after breaking his thumb against the Cats during the Blues' 16-point loss in round 3.

After a frustrating year dealing with injuries in 2012, Matthew Kreuzer says he has learnt how to manager his body better.

"You don't want to miss a game if you can, so you've just got to cope with it and find ways around it," Kreuzer said.

"Some weeks you do this and other weeks you do that, and you work out what works best for you. I learnt a lot about how I've got to manage my body, so I'll take a lot of things from last year and put them in place this year.

"It was a tough year but I took a lot out of it. And it was like that for the whole club because we had a lot of injuries and had to play a few players out of position."

With Jarrad Waite, Matthew Kreuzer, Levi Casboult, Luke Mitchell, Shaun Hampson and Sam Rowe all expected to be ready for the start of the season, Carlton is expected to be spoilt for choice when it comes to big men, something it rarely had the luxury of in 2012.

"We could not get consistently healthy talls last year, so having these guys fit and available is going to be critical for us," forwards coach John Barker said.

"The good thing is all of them who had some small and big issues last year, they are all ready to go."

Carlton ruckman Matthew Kreuzer, Shaun Hampson and Robbie Warnock are capable of playing successfully together in the same side under new coach Mick Malthouse, new Blues midfield coach Rob Wiley says.

"I think the one good thing about those three players is that they're all athletic, they're mobile, and you only have to look at the way Mick selects sides (to know) that those three players can certainly play in the one side," Wiley said.

Dr Peter Larkins says Blue Matthew Kreuzer will always be hampered by surgery he had when first recruited and is currently not fit enough to play in the ruck on a full time basis.

"I'd just like to remind people that he had surgery on his left hip and his right hip when he was recruited … which I thought was always going to limit how much he'd get out of a big body over the course of a 10-year career," Larkins said.

"Then he had a reconstruction of his left knee with some tendon out of his right knee. He had troubles in the reconstructed knee again last year and had surgery again on that to deal with some scar tissue.

"I've been watching him play and there's no doubt he's playing sore."

Carlton has secured key players Bryce Gibbs and Matthew Kreuzer on new deals.

"There was never any thought of not being at Carlton as this is where I want to be. Carlton has become a real home to me since I left Adelaide when I was 17," Gibbs said.

"This is my club, I have played all my senior football here and feel part of the Carlton family. The growth of the club since I arrived has been fantastic and I am looking forward to enjoying success with this playing group at Carlton," Kreuzer said.

Carlton decides to rest Chris Judd, Matthew Kreuzer and Jarrad Waite against the Giants, a move which GWS midfield Tom Scully says is disappointing.

"To have them resting is disappointing in a way but I can certainly understand it from Carlton's point of view. We'll just be focusing on the players that are actually going to be taking to the field," Scully said.

"The guys that are resting can't have an impact on the game and certainly they're still going to have some good players coming in so we're going to have to focus on those guys and recognise that they'll be hungry for opportunities."

After initially choosing to rest Matthew Kreuzer against GWS, Carlton is forced to play him after backup Robbie Warnock succumbs to a hamstring injury.

Kreuzer is named in the lineup to face the Giants despite initially being listed as having a knee injury.

Carlton big man Matthew Kreuzer wants to use the NAB Cup as a launching pad for a massive 2012.

"We haven't looked too far ahead, but I'm looking to play some NAB Cup games and go from there," Kreuzer said.

"We had the camp overseas [in October and] I did some training over there. Once I got back from there it was straight into pre-season and I haven't looked back since, so it's been good."

Carlton ruckman Matthew Kreuzer says he is anticipating better form in 2012 as he continues to get fitter.

"I had a good chat to Ratts (Senior Coach Brett Ratten) at the end of last year and expect that I will probably play more in the ruck this year," Kreuzer said.

"I have much more confidence in my knee than I did last season and am really looking forward to getting out there and playing."

Carlton ruckman Matthew Kreuzer had more surgery on his reconstructed left knee.

"He was operated on today for a clean-up of the knee," Blues football manager Steven Icke said.

"There was nothing sinister. He could play, but it was always intended at the end of the season to get it done now so he can do a full pre-season. Coming back from an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament surgery), he had some ongoing issues. It didn't stop him playing, but certainly restricted him in his training."

Carlton ruckman Matthew Kreuzer should be fit to face Essendon after treatment on a foot complaint.

"By all reports, the scans and everything were pretty positive, so I think he's going to train this week," teammate Bryce Gibbs said.

"With all the [bad] luck he's had over the last 12 months, it's good for him to get some positive news like that."

Carlton coach Brett Ratten says Matthew Kreuzer is doubtful for the elimination final against Essendon after the young ruckman complained of numbness in his foot during the warm up prior to the round 24 match against St Kilda.

"Kreuzer will be in doubt, we're still getting scans and other things done today," Ratten said.

"He was waiting for the specialists and people to come in today to have a look."

Matthew Kreuzer says he still needs to work on his match fitness after returning from injury despite being best on ground in the Blues' big win over the Swans.

"I'm slowly getting there and hopefully I can continue to improve each week," he said.

"I've done a fair bit of running over the time … but I've still got a little bit to do on the match-fitness side of it. I started blowing up in the second half a bit, but that will come in the next couple of weeks hopefully."

Jordan Russell was impressed by Matthew Kreuzer's return to senior football against Brisbane after a lengthy stint on the sidelines with a knee injury.

"If anyone was going to come straight in and have an impact it's Kreuze," Russell said.

"We're just very excited to have him out there. His second and third efforts are phenomenal. It doesn't matter whether he's been out of the game for a year or a week."

Matthew Kreuzer may be considered for senior selection this week after being named in the best for the Northern Bullants last weekend.

"The biggest battle for him will be his battle with his own expectations. That will be the biggest challenge that he'll have. We know what to expect and we'll give him some guidance when he does come into the seniors on what we expect of him," Carlton coach Brett Ratten said.

"His own expectations will be extremely high because of the type of person he is."

Carlton's Matthew Kreuzer has come through unscathed from his first game in the VFL nearly 12 months after injuring his knee.

"He pulled up really well. We were rapt that he got through the half and kicked a couple of goals, so it was a good start for him," Carlton development coach Darren Harris said.

"We didn't throw him in the middle and I don't know when we will, but that will be part of his program going forward. Today all we wanted to do was get him out there and running around. I thought his contribution was good in the half that he played."

Carlton tall Matthew Kreuzer has been cautious with his return from a knee injury and has put no time frame on his return.

"The knee is coming along well," Kreuzer said.

"I'm just trying to get my leg strength back and obviously hope to start training in the next couple of weeks and go from there. I'm not putting any time frame on it yet but hopefully in the near future I'll be back."

Carlton ruckman Matthew Kreuzer has started running in his recovery from a knee reconstruction and plans to return to the side by round one of 2011.

Carlton's Matthew Kreuzer has decided against revolutionary LARS surgery on his ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.

"Following discussions with the medical team and Matthew it was decided to have the more conventional surgery that uses a graft taken from the patella tendon," a statement from Carlton said.

"This decision was based on what is considered to be the best for Matthew's long term future."

Carlton ruckman Matthew Kreuzer's season is over after rupturing his arterior cruciate ligament in the clash against Fremantle at Etihad Stadium.

"We will look at all options available and make a decision in conjunction with Matthew and the medical team on the best treatment for Matthew's long term recovery," football operations manager Steven Icke said.

Ruckman Matthew Kreuzer has added two years to his contract with Carlton.

"I have really enjoyed my first two years at Carlton and believe it is a fantastic time to be at the club," Kreuzer said.

"Obviously the improvement on the field and playing a final last year was great and I look forward to playing more finals and enjoying success with everyone at Carlton.

"Together with the sensational new facilities at Visy Park certainly makes Carlton a great place to be."

Essendon coach Matthew Knights commends Carlton ruckman Matthew Kreuzer on handling the Blues' ruck at such a young age.

"You saw the immense talent but then you said it's a big ask for a young player to come in and play ruck in their first season or second season," Knights said of the Kreuzer, who turned 20 in May.

"But just watching him over the last month, just the maturity he plays with and the way he gets around the ground, he has been buffeted a fair bit also, but his resilience is amazing."

Matthew Kreuzer is confident his hip complaint will not cause him any future problems after successful post-season surgery.

"It's been good so far. A couple of weeks and I should be back to full training," Kreuzer said.

"I got it checked out a couple of years ago and he (the doctor) said it could flare up in 10 years or it could flare up in a year.

"So we thought we'd get it done now to save any future problems.

"I'm confident that once I get back to full training it will be fine."

Matthew Kreuzer is selected as the first pick in the 2007 national draft with Carlton's priority pick.

Kruezer becomes the Blues' third top pick in the last three years after the Blues selected Bryce Gibbs and Marc Murphy in the 2006 and 2005 national drafts respectively.

Blues coach Brett Ratten was impressed with Kruezer's athletic abilities. "He was first in the sprints, first in the four laps. His work ethic is outstanding."

Ratten also expressed confidence that Kruezer will play AFL football in 2008. "You look at his athletic qualities and he could maybe play round one for us, but we've got to get him through pre-season and look after him," Ratten said.

Kruezer, who will inherit former captain Lance Whitnall's guernsey no. 8, said, "It's been a dream ever since I was little to run out, but I will see how the pre-season goes and I will fit into the team."