At a time when Sam Docherty should be enjoying the good times at Carlton, the lifelong Blues supporter and inspirational former captain is coming to grips with a third season wiped out by a knee injury.
All AFL players, coaches and umpires will observe a moment’s silence in a statement honouring the victims of violence against women in this weekend’s round of AFL games.
What happened 26 nights ago against Essendon at the Adelaide Oval was, says Jeremy Finlayson, a moment in time he cannot fully explain and one that still keeps him awake at night.
St Kilda’s Jack Higgins was unsuccessful at the tribunal in getting his three-ban reduced. Meanwhile, Geelong skipper Patrick Dangerfield’s hamstring injury will sideline him for four to six weeks and Hawthorn will be struggling for tall targets against the Bulldogs.
Carlton may have the firepower to engineer a barrage of goals, but it’s when they don’t have the ball that has them in trouble heading into Friday night’s clash against their arch-rival.