Sam Docherty has undergone foot surgery in the aftermath of a grueling campaign and is staring at a delayed start to the 2024 pre-season.
The Blues revealed on Friday afternoon Docherty had undergone minor foot surgery, with his expected recovery making him available for full training in January.
Docherty, 29, dislocated his shoulder during Carlton’s finals series but played out the Semi Final and the following week’s loss to Brisbane.
He avoided surgery for that injury after a season where he played his 150th game and featured in 23 of a possible 26 senior games.
Updates on how four Blues are tracking from an injury perspective with the AFL off-season officially underway.
— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) October 6, 2023
The Blues also offered updates on several other players, including Zac Williams, who missed the entirety of the season with an ACL injury.
He won’t re-join skills training until after Carlton’s program resumes following the new year’s break.
Corey Durdin (shoulder) will return at the start of pre-season before building up to full training, while Alex Mirkov – who sat out much of the VFL season after a heart scare in June – will have his return to training assessed in the new year.
Carlton’s rise from nearing the bottom four midway through the season to finishing in the top eight and kicking the first five goals against Brisbane in a Preliminary Final was one of the stories of the season, with Michael Voss’ side the third favourite for the 2024 flag.