SAM Docherty has confirmed he will return to the Carlton bench in 2019 in a coaching capacity.

The joint captain will act as an extension of the coaching staff, reprising the role he embraced last year.

He’ll begin in that role tonight when the Blues host Essendon in the opener of the JLT Community Series at Ikon Park.

And with runners now only permitted to enter the field of play after a goal has been kicked, Docherty envisaged a step-up in role for this season.

“I was the way down from the coaches last year and we then had the runner who ran everything out,” he said.

“This year, it’s up to us on the bench to explain the messages to the players and then the guys taking them out, which is a different way of going about it.

“It’ll be interesting, I’m exciting to see the difference of how hard or easy it’s going to be.”

Tonight’s game will also mark the first time this year where Docherty will see his teammates against opposition, having missed last week’s practice match against Hawthorn.

He said he was hoping to see an extremely competitive outfit take to the field and set the tone for the coming year.

“Hopefully we see a really competitive group, it’s what we’ve been training all pre-season,” he said.

“We’ve made big gains in terms of our game plan and what we want to see offensively and defensively. I’m excited to see what that looks like first-hand.”