Carlton co-captain Sam Docherty hopes to play this season despite second knee reconstruction
Carlton co-captain Sam Docherty has returned from an overseas holiday refreshed and ready to step up his training as he aims to return this season despite undergoing a second knee reconstruction in 12 months.
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Carlton co-captain Sam Docherty has not ruled out playing this season despite undergoing a second knee reconstruction.
The star defender tore his anterior cruciate ligament during a pre-season training session in December, his second serious knee injury in 12 months.
Docherty did not play a game last year despite hoping to return late in the season from his first knee reconstruction.
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He’s approaching his rehabilitation from his latest serious knee injury the same way.
“There’s no more update, we have to feel our way through the rehab, it’s more dependent on how my body goes with all the load I’m going to have to go through,” Docherty said.
“How my strength comes back, how my change of direction goes. There are a lot of hurdles I have to jump over before I can definitively say whether I will play (this year) or not.
“At the moment, we’re striving to but I’ve got a long road ahead of me before I can give an answer on that one.”
The 25-year-old, who was named co-captain alongside Patrick Cripps for this season, has just returned from an overseas holiday.
Docherty hopes to step up his training by resuming running in a fortnight.
“There’s a lot of cross-training, a lot of rehab weights, a lot of upper body weights,” he told the club’s website. “Running hopefully in two weeks, I’ve just got to tick that off with the surgeon, that’s my next milestone and one that I’m looking forward to.”
Docherty will take on the same coaching role this season as he did last year and will sit on Carlton’s interchange bench.
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