Sam Docherty on track to feature in match simulation against Collingwood
Carlton coach David Teague is resigned to losing Charlie Curnow for an indefinite period but the imminent return of co-captain Sam Docherty has lifted his spirits.
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Carlton coach David Teague isn’t interested in the availability of injured star forward Charlie Curnow yet as he instead looks forward to unleashing co-captain Sam Docherty against actual opposition after a 900-day wait.
Curnow isn’t expected to return to football until the middle of the season and Teague said he’ll turn his attention towards the 23-year-old once he gets closer to training.
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More present in the rookie coach’s thoughts is a six-period match simulation showdown with Collingwood on Thursday, which will mark a significant step in Docherty’s return to football.
After two years on the sidelines, after back-to-back serious knee injuries, the 2017 All-Australian will face opposition other than his teammates for the first time since Round 23, 2017.
“Sam has been doing all our match play and he’s been great. It will be the first time against opposition,” Teague said on Saturday.
“He has got a lot of match play against his teammates and the way they have been going, they don’t hold back. They are going hard so I think he’ll have confidence in his body because we have been training at the intensity you need to.
“What I have loved is seeing him smile. He finishes a training session and you can see his face he’s so happy. This time the last couple of years he has been watching. I know his teammates love having him out there.”
Teague conceded there was an element of unknown with Curnow who had an operation in November to repair a broken patella bone in his knee and has not started running.
“Until he starts getting in to the rehab group that are doing football work and about to transition in, that’s when I will take a bit more interest,” he said.
Every available Carlton player will take part in Thursday’s clash with Collingwood including recruits Jack Martin and Eddie Betts.
Teague said the influence of both in the pre-season had been telling but in different ways, with Martin bringing an intensity to training, and Betts providing significant leadership to complement his on-field skill.
“I still think Eddie’s got a lot of good football in him. We love seeing him as a leader, that’s been as important to us as anything,” the coach said before putting his players through an intra-club match at Ikon Park.
“Today, one of our young defenders, Cam Polson, asked if he could play on Eddie because he said he’s the best he could learn off.”
Teague said he had “no plan” for managing 33-year-old Betts during the season.
But should the 316-game veteran, or any of the older Carlton players need a rest, they would get it.
“If he needs a week off, and he’s not alone, if he needs one week off to make the next six better, we’ll do what’s best for the team,” he said.
Carlton’s AFL and AFLW teams trained together on Saturday ahead of massive clash for the women against traditional rivals Collingwood at Ikon Park on Sunday.
“It worked really well for us last year. The girls get a kick out of it. I think the boys get a kick out of it too,” Blues women’s coach Daniel Harford said.
“It’s something the club is trying to make happen, this “all of us mentality”, that we are out there doing things together.”
Originally published as Sam Docherty on track to feature in match simulation against Collingwood