Sam Docherty Withdrawn from Carlton Function

Former Carlton co-captain Sam Docherty has been withdrawn from a club function at the MCG scheduled for Thursday night. This decision follows his critical comments regarding the club's game style after their loss to Sydney in the Opening Round.

Details of the Criticism

Docherty, a 171-game Blues defender who retired last season, was initially slated to speak at the function ahead of Carlton's match against Richmond. His remarks, broadcast by former teammate Daniel Gorringe on his "Dan Does Footy" podcast, expressed strong dissatisfaction with Carlton's performance.

Docherty stated in a voice message: "When the game's hot and contested and pressurised, Carlton is good in that environment. But as soon as some team can do somewhat good in the contest, the rest of the game just falls to pieces. They get under pressure, they can’t get a hold of the ball and they’re just an absolute mess."
He added, "Basically, you impact our midfielders again this year, and we'll be in trouble, going off last night."

Docherty's Clarification

Docherty later clarified on 3AW that he never intended for his message to Gorringe to be used verbatim. He stated, "I sent (Gorringe) a recap of my thoughts from the game last night which I thought was guiding a conversation, but I didn't think was getting used verbatim." Docherty acknowledged the strong nature of the comments but stood by his general thoughts, apologizing for the expletives used.

Club Statement

Carlton CEO Graham Wright addressed the situation, confirming Docherty's withdrawal.

In a statement to Channel Nine's Footy Classified, Wright said, "We made a decision based off supporting our own people internally."

The club has indicated that Docherty will be welcomed back in the future.