CARLTON co-captain Sam Docherty is ticking all the boxes in his return to senior football.

Previewing the 2020 Marsh Community Series on Monday afternoon at Ikon Park, Docherty is hoping to form part of the squad to play in the two matches.

The Blues will kick off the series in Mandurah when they face the Dockers in late February, before finishing the pre-season competition at home at Ikon Park against the Lions.

“Either here or Mandurah, I’m pretty excited to get back and play some footy wherever it is,” Docherty said.

“I watched a game last year in Morwell where I played my local TAC Cup, so I love the format of the way they do it and I’m pretty excited to get back and play at Ikon Park.

“To be honest, I’m sick of training and running around the outside of it so being in the middle will be a lot more enjoyable.”

We're at Ikon Park.



Our 2020 Marsh Community Series fixture has been confirmed. #BoundByBlue — Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) October 28, 2019

After almost twelve months on the sidelines, Docherty is entering the final stages of his rehabilitation after rupturing a second ACL last December.

Under the guidance of Director of High Performance Andrew Russel, the defender has taken a cautious approach in the lead up to the 2020 season.

“I feel really good. I’ve been running through the whole off-season, training as much as I can,” Docherty said.

“I’m a bit lighter, so I’m running probably a little bit better than what I was because I don’t have to carry the extra four or five kilos.

“It’s going really well, I’m really confident in what I’m doing and I’m really confident with the program we’ve got set moving forward to get me back playing footy.”

Record-setting pace.



Bluebaggers, we set our sights on reaching 75,000 members. You've got off to the best possible start. #BoundByBlue — Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) October 21, 2019

The backline leader is set to travel to Philadelphia this Friday to complete the next stage of his ACL rehabilitation with renowned reconditioning specialist Bill Knowles.

Knowles is known for his work with landing, high-speed movement and agility as they relate to knee injuries and has worked with Melbourne’s Jake Lever and West Coast’s Nic Naitanui.

“I’m going to see Bill Knowles the world-renowned knee specialist in Philly with one of our physios, so I’m pretty excited to do that and then get back training,” he said.

“There’s a lot of jump and land, there’s a lot of sort of specific mechanic stuff with my knee, my ankle.”