Carlton confirmed on Tuesday that Sam Docherty will return from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in Opening Round for this weekend's elimination final against Brisbane.
The turnaround is quite extraordinary given only 183 days (26 weeks) separate his last and next matches, ironically both facing the Lions.
Docherty couldn't contain his excitement when Blues' captain Patrick Cripps revealed the news in front of the playing group as the club prepares for the do-or-die clash.
โI can't put it all into words at the moment, and probably won't for a little bit anyway. But yeah, a couple of days, let all sink in and then lock right into what my job will be on the on Saturday night and get out there and perform it," Docherty said.
โThis whole last six months has been just about giving myself an opportunity to play if we got here and needed a lot of things to go right.
When breaking news is breaking, you've got to be on your toes ๐คช
If you were looking for the rogue announcement video of Sam Docherty finding out the news he's playing this week, this is it ๐ pic.twitter.com/yvabGO389h
— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) September 3, 2024
โVery thankful for coaching staff and medical staff and the footy club to be able to get me in position to play and to trust me, to me, to be able to go out there perform. I'm very excited.โ
Docherty's return does beg the question of how it ranks among the quicker returns from serious knee injuries.
Knee reconstructions and ruptured ACLs were generally given a 12-month sentence for full recovery, with clubs opting more often than not to take a conservative approach.
But throughout history, there have been cases of built different players returning to the field much earlier, with some facing mixed results.
David Schwarz (Melbourne) - 11 weeks
Melbourne legend David Schwarz has the quickest return on record from a knee reconstruction, donning the red and blue jumper just 11 weeks post-surgery in 1995.
Schwarz struggled when he returned and subsequently re-injured his knee in his second game back, hinting at a career-defining run for the key forward littered with problems over multiple years.
Nick Malceski (Sydney) - 12 weeks
Sydney premiership player Nick Malceski came close to Schwarz's record over a decade later after heading to France for "revolutionary surgery".
Malceski hurt his knee in the pre-season and was able to return in Round 8, 2008, after the surgeon used synthetic fibres to rebuild his knee.
"No-one else has really done it but I'd advise anyone to do it. When you're out for only three months as opposed to sort of nine or 12 months," Malceski said at the time.
Tony Liberatore (Western Bulldogs) - 18 weeks
The Brownlow medallist injured his knee in Round 5, 1998, and forced coach Terry Wallace to select him in Round 21 as the Dogs chased the flag.
โMaybe it was a little selfish on my part to come back so early but I just wanted to do everything right to try come back and be part of some premiership glory,โ Liberatore said in 2017 Mazda BT-50 Tough Tales.
Unfortunately, Liberatore retired without that premiership success, but proved that a quicker return after knee reconstruction is possible, courtesy of respected surgeon David Young.
Tyson Goldsack (Collingwood) - 26 weeks
Goldsack's career appeared over when he ruptured his ACL in March of 2018.
However, he'd play a crucial part in the finals series of that year, featuring in all four games, including the grand final.
Docherty's return emulates Goldsack's - nearly to the day - and the Collingwood defender was successful in holding down a key defensive position on a finals campaign.
What does sports doctor Peter Brukner say?
โLook, it's a bit of a risk. How to quantify that risk is very difficult. In general, most surgeons think 12 months is more appropriate, but it's all about risk-reward,โ Brukner said, according to the Herald Sun.
โThe odds are he gets through. What risk are you prepared to accept? It's impossible to quantify. I would love to say it's five per cent or 10 per cent but there are so many variables.
โSome rehabs go beautifully over 12 months and then players take part in their first game and it goes bang. Other times people have everything go wrong in rehab and have no problem. It's not luck, it's genetics. But I hope he gets through.โ
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