WHILE it’s not the impact the skipper planned on having this season, Sam Docherty has relished his time on the sidelines.

Docherty was dealt a blow when he ruptured his ACL during pre-season, sitting on the sidelines for the second straight year.

The skipper has resumed his role on the interchanged bench in a quasi-coaching role.

“I’ve been doing this role with the coaches for a couple of years unfortunately, but it’s given me an insight into the coaching world,” Docherty said on RSN Inner Sanctum on Wednesday.

“Especially being a co-captain, my relationship with Bolts has been really strong and we have really open discussions during the week.”

Describing his coaching role, Docherty views his presence on the interchange bench as a liaison between the assistant coaches and playing group.

“What he [Bolton] and the coaches are seeing up top, that comes down to me and I’ve got to filter that out to the players,” he said.

“I sort of continue the same role in terms of what’s coming down and what needs to be filtered in and said to the players.”

In his coaching role, Docherty has a unique understanding of the new runner rule introduced for the 2019 season.

The new rule restricts the ability of the runner to enter the field of play until after a goal has been scored.

“It’s a lot harder – a very simple idea in a coach’s head and what’s on a whiteboard is very complex to actually get done on the ground,” Docherty said of the new rules.

“It’s a lot harder but I think we’re sort of feeling our way through it at the moment, there’s a lot of player ownership in terms of your leaders on-field.”