JACK Silvagni is grateful to have a sounding board.

Having been through his fair share of shoulder injuries in the past, it was back in January when Silvagni unfortunately had to start preparing himself for his first 12-month recovery when he ruptured his ACL at training.

The long road to recovery began, and a few months later, he was joined - unfortunately - by a great mate.

Silvagni, who spoke to Carlton Media this week at the Peter Mac Cup Breakfast, said Sam Docherty’s influence on him in his recovery has been key.

“Rehab is going okay. I’m lucky, ‘Doc’s’ not, but I’m lucky that I get to do it with him, who’s a guru in this area,” Silvagni said.

“Being able to do it with ‘Doc’ - who’s so diligent in his rehab and obviously has the experience before - it’s nice to have a sounding board and someone to lean on when times get tough.”

Silvagni said Docherty played a particularly important role in the rehab process which wasn’t linear, riding the emotional rollercoaster as he embarks on a long comeback.

Rehab can be a lonely place, but Silvagni already has his sights set on 2025.

“You have your good days and bad days, sometimes things progress well and sometimes you’ve got to take a few steps back.

“It’s an interesting journey, one I’m very much looking forward to putting behind me.”