Carlton defender Sam Docherty will step aside from the Club’s leadership group as co-captain in season 2022.

The decision has been made to allow Docherty every opportunity to focus solely on himself this season.

Head of Football Brad Lloyd said, “Sam is an exceptional individual and is a tremendous leader for this football club. His pre-season preparation has been strong to date and he’s progressing well. Right now, our priority remains on ensuring we continue to provide support to Sam throughout this period, to allow him every opportunity to focus on himself, and enable the time required to get his body right.”

Senior Coach Michael Voss said, “We know the quality person Doc is and we don’t expect his involvement as a leader, despite not being in the leadership group to alter – we’ve seen time and again the presence he brings to each and every training session and we know he’ll continue to support the group. Our role right now is to continue to support him and ensure his recovery remains the Club’s primary focus.”

The Club will look to finalise its leadership group in the coming weeks as part of its pre-season program.