Carlton’s biggest recruit of the summer might be the return of their skipper Sam Docherty.
The All-Australian defender hasn’t played since 2017, with torn ACLs derailing his last two years.
Docherty has returned to full training and barring any setbacks will be out there in Round 1 and David King believes he will have a huge influence on Carlton’s young defensive core.
“(His impact) is not on stats, it’s more on organisation,” he told SEN Breakfast.
“What Docherty will be able to do for Jacob Weitering I think is understated.
“The positioning of those younger players and the security blanket around them, it will have a huge impact on Jacob Weitering.”
The Blues had a reasonably settled backline last year, with Weitering having a strong year alongside Liam Jones, Caleb Marchbank, Lachie Plowman, Kade Simpson and Nic Newman.
Carlton will also be boosted in 2020 by the addition of talented midfielder Jack Martin from Gold Coast.
The Blues have heavily front-loaded Martin’s contract as part of bringing him to the club via the Pre-Season Draft and King praised the club for getting him in at no cost.
“I was critical at the end of the trade period that they didn’t get the deal done, in the end they got him for virtually nothing, so fantastic work by the Carlton hierarchy,” he said.
“To be honest, despite the pay packet, it’s a free hit.
“When you get a player onto your list that way, it is a free hit.”