As far as stats go, it’s up there with the best of them . . . and it involves Carlton’s very own in the No.15, Sam Docherty.
Though the number on the back will remain the constant, Docherty’s in the truly unique position of potentially playing his first five matches for the club in five separate guernseys – the last of them the archetypal dark Navy Blue jumper.
Docherty made his debut in the seventh round match against Collingwood sporting the heritage guernsey. He followed up against St Kilda wearing the predominantly white clash jumper and, after the bye (and pending form and fitness), will run out against Adelaide in the Members top and Brisbane in the Indigenous.
Not until Round 12, against Geelong, does Docherty finally get the opportunity to don the traditional dark Navy Blue guernsey of the club he’s supported since he was a kid.
Docherty said he wasn’t sure what the record was for most consecutive games played in the non-traditional guernsey, “but it’s clearly impressive isn’t it”.
“I was looking at the fixture the other day and wondering ‘When do I play in the traditional guernsey?’,” Docherty said. “There’s a Members guernsey to come and the Indigenous one before the dark Navy Blue, and it’d be nice to play in them all.
In saying that, Docherty declared that he “really liked” the heritage guernsey worn into the Collingwood game. Describing it as “old school, but really cool”.
I really liked the bigger CFC logo,” Docherty said of the guernsey. “That’s one of the favourite guernseys I’ve worn and it will go home to Mum to stick in the room with all the other memorabilia”.
As fate would have it, Docherty completed his senior debut for Brisbane in an away guernsey for the 4th round match against North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium last season.
Sam Docherty made his debut for the Blues in Round 7. (Photo: Lachlan Cunningham/AFL Media)
“I wore the red, yellow and blue one into that match, but my first win for Brisbane came wearing the traditional jumper,” he said.
Docherty said he could empathise with the former Carlton footballer Andrew Balkwill, whose one and only senior game for Carlton was played in the iridescent blue guernsey worn into the M&Ms match with Adelaide in the 3rd round of 1997.
He added that while each guernsey was important to him, the traditional jumper would mean much to the family, particularly his widowed mother, when he first got the chance to don it - hopefully against the Cats.
“To be able to play in that jumper will be a fair privilege I reckon,” Docherty said.
“Mum will get very emotional to see me running out in that one. I know that she’ll be proud and wishing that Dad could be there to witness it all. It was his dream as much as mine to play for Carlton.”
