Patrick Cripps to be stand-alone Carlton captain after cancer survivor Sam Docherty stands down to focus on recovery

Carlton has confirmed Patrick Cripps will be the club’s stand-alone captain this year, weeks after cancer survivor Sam Docherty stepped down from the role. The Blues will hunt a long-awaited finals return under new coach Michael Voss with a three-man leadership group that includes vice-captains Jacob Weitering and Sam Walsh. Cripps was appointed at the end of 2018 as co-captain, alongside Docherty, but will now assume the full responsibility, although he has had practice with Docherty sidelined for extended periods. Players, coaches and board members endorsed the 26-year-old midfielder, who re-signed for six more seasons in June last year. “It’s been an absolute honour to have held the captaincy alongside ‘Doc’ for the past three seasons,” Cripps said. “It’s largely thanks to him that I’ve grown to be the leader I am today. I’m now really looking forward to taking the next step this year under a new team of coaches and alongside ‘Weiters’ and ‘Walshy’. “The leadership of our group does not stop with just the three of us. “We are fortunate to have both established and emerging leaders across every line, and our focus this season will be bringing that out in one another.” Voss said in his brief time at Carlton that he had witnessed Cripps’ “incredible passion” for wanting the Blues to succeed. “A strong culture is centred around great leadership,” Voss said. “We certainly have that in these three players, who have a terrific understanding of what is required to drive standards at the elite level. “I have no doubt as this group builds its connection with one another, with the more time we spend together, the responsibility of leadership will be shared right across the board, which we have already started to see great signs of.” Cripps has played 138 matches for the Blues and won three John Nicholls Medals as the club’s best-and-fairest winner, along with two All-Australian selections and an AFL Players’ Association MVP. Weitering and Walsh, Carlton’s reigning club champion, joined the club’ leadership group in 2020 and loom as future captains. Docherty’s decision to step down from the captaincy was based on him wanting to focus on being ready for the 2022 season after he revealed last August that his testicular cancer had returned. He underwent chemotherapy for a second time but he has returned to training and plans to play this year.