Carlton star Sam Docherty is closing in on a stunning return to the AFL after undergoing chemotherapy last year to treat testicular cancer.
The 28-year-old underwent 12 weeks of chemotherapy after the cancer returned following its initial discovery in November 2020.
Docherty was not initially expected to be in the Blues’ calculations to begin the 2022 home and away season, but new Carlton coach Michael Voss revealed the 2017 All-Australian had ramped up his training loads to give himself a chance.
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“He’s absolutely desperate to get out a full season. Some of the ground he’s made in the last month has come really quick. We also have to be cautious with that. He’ll tell us how he’s travelling,” Voss told AFL.com.au last week.
“We’ll put the load to him and see what he can cope with, but certainly in the last month we’ve become more bullish with where he’s at. We’re certainly hoping that he has a fairly large say on the front-end of the season.
“From when I first walked in during October, it was looking like that timeline might have been a hell of a lot longer – if he’d return at all. That, in itself, probably says a fair bit about Sam Docherty.”
There is optimism around Carlton that Docherty could take part in the club’s first official pre-season clash against reigning premiers Melbourne on March 3.
Docherty’s ability to constantly ramp up his training loads throughout the pre-season will determine whether he’s able to take the field for Carlton’s season-opener against Richmond on March 17 at the MCG.