The Carlton Football Club announced on Thursday morning that their co-captain and backline general Sam Docherty is set to spend more time on the sidelines.
Docherty, 27, underwent surgery on Wednesday after reporting "significant soreness" in his ankle to the club's medical staff.
According to the Blues' official announcement, the opinion of a specialist was sought before the former Lion went under the knife, but as an acute syndesmosis injury was found, surgery was deemed necessary.
Carlton Head of Football Brad Lloyd explained the details of the injury on Thursday morning.
“This is clearly unfortunate news for Sam, who was really looking forward to helping the side put together strong performances in the back half of the season,” Lloyd said.
“Bad luck like this is never good to receive but at least by picking up the injury early we’ve been able to ensure we can get Sam on the road to recovery as quickly as possible.”
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Within said statement, the Blues were hopeful that the injury-plagued defender would be able to rejoin his teammates at some stage this season, but as they place a premium on Docherty's health, no timeline has been set.
Docherty has played 109-games for the Princes Park club over six-seasons after notching 13-appearances as a Lion across his debut 2013 season.
Carlton are set to face Fremantle this weekend in a match that has been predicted to be staged at any number of venues including GMHBA Stadium in Geelong or UTAS Stadium in Launceston.
No official fixturing decision has been confirmed at the time of writing.
