Carlton defender Sam Docherty and wife Natalie expecting baby

Carlton defender Sam Docherty has beaten cancer twice, made an emotional comeback to footy this year and now has special news to share.

Carlton defender Sam Docherty has beaten cancer twice, made an emotional comeback to footy this year and now is going to be a father.

Docherty and his wife Natalie revealed they were expecting their first child via Instagram on Tuesday night.

“Baby Doc - we are so excited to meet you,” Docherty, 28, posted.

Docherty’s former Carlton teammates Marc Murphy and Bryce Gibbs were among the footy fraternity to send their congratulations with both posting blue heart emojis in the response to his announcement post.

Docherty stepped aside as co-captain of Carlton in January this year as he focused on returning to footy after emerging triumphant from his second battle with cancer.

In November 2020 Docherty had a cancerous lump removed from his testicle.

He underwent surgery and chemotherapy and returned to the AFL, however in August last year he took to Instagram to reveal “life has thrown another curveball my way”.

“My testicular cancer has recurred, sadly meaning that I will need to undergo a round of chemotherapy,” he said at the time.

“I am very fortunate this secondary diagnosis was detected early as part of a routine check-up. We now have a clear plan in place to get through this.”

Docherty later revealed the cancer had spread significantly from what he faced the first time round.

“It came back, went to my lymph nodes, ended up in my lungs and my stomach,” he told the Sunday Herald Sun in April 2022.

“I didn’t see my scans for a long time until I was shown while I was getting my treatment. I thought it was only a small amount that was going to be treated quickly.

“Turns out there was a lot in there, a lot of big white dots in my scans. It was scary. I played it down a little bit in my own head, but it was a significant thing to try and figure out. The two diagnoses were completely different.”

Docherty with wife Natalie. Picture: Mark Stewart

Fortunately he was in good hand with his medical team and he embarked on another successful 12 week round of chemotherapy.

He recovered quickly and amazingly was able to take his place in the Carlton team that played Richmond in round one of the 2022 season.

Docherty married Natalie in Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens in December 2020.

The respected Blue said his health struggles had taught him to enjoy life.

“The biggest lesson I have learnt is to stay grateful,” he said in April.

“Enjoy what you have, enjoy the people around you – that’s the best thing I have taken from it.”

Originally published as Carlton defender Sam Docherty and wife Natalie expecting baby