CARLTON co-captain Sam Docherty will ramp up his recovery from successive knee reconstructions this off-season when he journeys to Philadelphia to meet with world-renowned sports reconditioning expert Bill Knowles.
AFL.com.au understands Docherty will head to the US in the coming weeks, desperate to leave no stone unturned in his recovery from back-to-back ACL injuries to his troublesome left knee.
Docherty will be joined by a member of Carlton's medical staff for the overseas trip, with Knowles expected to run him through a number of exercises including landing, agility and high-speed movement drills.
Docherty will join a long list of AFL players who have travelled to train under Knowles' guidance recently, including Christian Petracca, Jake Lever, Nic Naitanui, Dan Menzel and Jon Patton.
Knowles has acted as a key consultant for a number of American sporting teams, while he has also worked with an elite crop of prominent Olympic athletes, specialising in improving the mobility and strengthening the knee following serious injuries.
Docherty has been taking a patient approach to his recovery from his second straight ruptured ACL, sustained last December, shelving his initial hopes to make a late-season return in 2019.
Renowned as one of Carlton's most diligent and determined players on the track, he will also cut back his training loads away from the club this summer in an effort to ensure he returns to Ikon Park fresh for the first day of pre-season with the rest of his teammates.
Docherty, 25, hasn't played for the Blues at any level since August 2017, a year where he was named All Australian, having also won a club best and fairest the season prior.
He was announced as Carlton's co-captain alongside Patrick Cripps ahead of the 2019 season, while he signed a one-year extension to his existing contract with the Blues in June.
The new deal ensures Docherty's future at the club until at least the end of 2021.
