Lincoln McCarthy is yet to rule out a return to football in 2017, though admits the time may soon come when he is forced to concede his season is over.

Sidelined since round three with a groin injury, the small forward underwent surgery in May in a bid to see him play football again from the mid-season.

Having already missed two full seasons through separate injuries, McCarthy understands the precarious position he now finds himself in and says pushing his body any further may not be the right move for his career long-term.

“I’ve definitely thought about it and I’m sure the physios have as well,” McCarthy told K rock Football on Sunday.

“We’re at a period now where I really want to play at the end of the year, but there might be a point in a few weeks time where we say there’s probably not enough time and we’re probably doing the wrong thing by pushing it to try and play.”

The 23-year-old was restricted through the pre-season but felt confident across his first few games of 2017, not least of which his three-goal effort against Fremantle in round one.

Unfortunately the groin complaint has no derailed what could have been promising follow-up season to his 19-game, 19-goal campaign of last year, but McCarthy says he’s simply staying focused on the smaller steps of his recovery.

“First three games [this season] I was feeling like things were going to be okay but pulled up pretty ordinary after that third game and therefore had surgery a month after that,” McCarthy said.

“Obviously getting struck down again with a little injury is annoying but it’s all about the process and that’s following all the little steps to get it right and ticking the boxes and that’s all I’m focusing on at the moment.”