But AFL.com.au<\/a> has reported the 32-year-old has been withdrawn from the event in the wake of his comments about the Blues revealed via a voice message to former teammate Daniel Gorringe<\/a> on the Dan Does Footy podcast.<\/p>\n Journalist Damian Barrett said on Nine\u2019s Footy Classifed Docherty\u2019s withdrawal was a \u201cdirect result of the comments made on that podcast\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cHe has been contacted by the club and now told he will not be appearing at that particular function,\u201d Barrett said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a temporary cooling off between the two parties. He will be included in future club functions but it was a direct result of the comments made on that podcast.<\/p>\n \u201cWe made a decision based off supporting our own people internally,\u201d Carlton CEO Graham Wright said in a statement to Channel Nine\u2019s Footy Classified.<\/p>\n Essendon great Matthew Lloyd, who was labelled a \u201cfilthy rat\u201d by Gorringe for criticising the public airing of the comments, said Docherty\u2019s comments about Carlton\u2019s lack of game plan were accurate. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s obviously people in the club, whether that\u2019s players or the coach himself, that are upset or hurt by the comments but I think in the cool light of day they could take a listen \u2026 and go, \u2018You know what? There\u2019s a fair bit of truth in what he\u2019s saying here, that when our midfielders go well, we go well, but when they get matched or beaten we\u2019re in a lot of trouble\u2019,\u201d Lloyd said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think if they could look deeper, he\u2019s got a lot of points in what\u2019s he making here but it\u2019s probably the way he went about it. But he was let down, as I\u2019ve said before, he was let down and never thought it would air the way it was aired. But there\u2019s a lot of truth to what he was saying.\u201d<\/p>\n In the voice message, Docherty was blunt in his assessment of Carlton\u2019s performance in the 63-point defeat to the Swans at the SCG.<\/p>\n The Swans piled on 12 goals in the third quarter, cutting the Blues to pieces in one of the highest scoring terms in AFL history. <\/p>\n \u201cExactly what happened again last night, is the same sh*t that happens in every other game,\u201d Docherty said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the game\u2019s 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 f***ing falls to pieces.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCarlton were +21 in contested possessions; they were just winning all the contests around the ground, which then got the ball played in their half on their terms. Admittedly their ball movement was pretty good in the first half, and they were sort of able to control the tempo.<\/p>\n \u201cBut then they start losing contests. They get under pressure, they can\u2019t get a hold of the ball and they\u2019re just an absolute f***ing sh**show.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s essentially what happened again last night. Sydney (were) +10 in the third quarter in contested possession. Game against Carlton, defence doesn\u2019t hold up.<\/p>\n \u201cBasically, you smack our mids again this year, and we\u2019ll be f***ed, going off last night.\u201d<\/p>\n Carlton coach Michael Voss will be desperate to win Thursday\u2019s game against the rebuilding Richmond, but AFL 360\u2019s Gerard Whateley believes the reaction to Carlton\u2019s loss to the Swans has been akin to \u201chyperventilating\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cThe hyperventilating around Carlton has been ridiculous,\u201d Whateley declared on Fox Footy on Monday night.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen their fixture came out, you go \u2018loss, win, win, win\u2019. So, Sydney in Sydney was always going to be a loss.<\/p>\n \u201cThe manner of the third quarter is troubling – and that is for them to address and attempt to rectify – (but) these are the three games that they have to step through and win.\u201d<\/p>\n The Blues play Richmond, Melbourne and North Melbourne in their next three games. <\/p>\n \u201cAnd this is where you\u2019re much more likely to see what they\u2019ve been working on, that you\u2019re able to embed,\u201d Whateley continued.<\/p>\n \u201cWe got tastes of it along the way (against the Swans), but under the enormous pressure that Sydney was able to provide in the third quarter \u2026 they could do nothing as that unfolded. <\/p>\n \u201cSo, judge them on these next three games – which we fully expect them to win – rather than hyperventilating \u2026 go about and win these next three and give a better display of what you\u2019ve been working on and the progress that you\u2019ve made against the like-for-like, and then find your place.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you think they are going to be successful this year, you have deluded yourself into a state of frenzy, at which point you become a vandal.\u201d<\/p>\n Docherty responds to leaked audio<\/p>\n Speaking on 3AW after his comments became public, Docherty apologised for his language, saying that although he stood by its sentiments, his memo was never intended to be used by Gorringe verbatim.<\/p>\n \u201cI sent (Gorringe) a recap of my thoughts from the game last night which I thought was guiding a conversation, but I didn\u2019t think was getting used verbatim,\u201d Docherty said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is what it is. Fairly strong comments in the end with what was released on the podcast, but I stand by the thoughts of what I was talking about because I\u2019ve been talking about it all of the back end of last year and some of last night. But I do need to apologise to everyone for the expletives used throughout.<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t thinking it was going out verbatim, but that\u2019s OK. (Gorringe) is one of my best mates and I understand that that\u2019s what the podcast is about, being close to the community and doing that. Just making sure I\u2019m clarifying my comments.\u201d<\/p>\n As part of the 3AW interview, Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd said he would be \u201cbitterly disappointed\u201d if the same thing had happened to him.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d be bitterly disappointed in Dan Gorringe personally, I know he\u2019s a mate of yours but I don\u2019t think mates do that to mates personally,\u201d Lloyd said.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think mates do that to mates, personally.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Docherty](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2b8b33c26a5223a29a46b99b99e2eb94.jpeg\")
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