“I’VE HEARD a lot about my body over the last few years: I’m pretty keen to let my footy do the talking from now on.”

On the back of a clean run through the summer, Carlton captain Patrick Cripps hopes that 2022 can see the end of discussions surrounding his body.

Despite still averaging over 23 disposals and five clearances a game last season, the past two years haven’t necessarily seen Cripps match the form which yielded three John Nicholls Medals by the end of 2019, as well as the Leigh Matthews Trophy.

However, with his best pre-season preparation springboarding him into the upcoming campaign, Cripps - speaking on SEN Breakfast - detailed his excitement for the AFL season which kicks off in seven days.

“I feel good,” Cripps said.

“I tried to work pretty hard over the summer to get my body in good shape and cover a lot of ground. You work on your athletic make-up to try and get better every year.

“I’ve had a clean run through pre-season and that always makes a difference."

Here’s more of what Cripps had to say.

On earning respect come Round 1 and beyond:

“You can say all you want, but until you actually do it, the media are going to talk and judge us on what we actually do.

“That’s why I’m so keen for next week and the first few rounds. We’ve all done a lot of work over the summer, but until you actually put it into action, words are pretty cheap.”

On Sam Walsh’s return:

“I’d never count ‘Walshy’ out, he’s a freak. But I think it’d be pushing it.

“He’s coming along nicely, and if you ask him he’d love to play just because he’s a competitive bugger. I think he’ll play early on in the season, but how early that is… I’m not 100 per cent sure.”

A NEW START Part one of Michael Voss' extensive SEN interview

On his new midfield counterparts:

“They’re class players: they’re clean, they’re tough, they’ve got high work rate. Then you add a guy like Matty Kennedy, whose game on Thursday night was as good as I’ve seen him play at AFL level.

“We’re a group that gets on really well and done a lot of work together over the summer. Especially the midfield group, we’ve gone to work and you saw that chemistry come out. It’s only new, so we feel like we’re only going to keep getting better.”

On his new haircut, and taking it into the season:

“I think ‘Doc’ may have helped me out with that one. If you ask my Nanna, she was horrified [with the mullet] when I went home over the break!

“The shaving of the head for ‘Doc’ was something a lot of the boys did and it was actually a pretty awesome moment for the Club, but more importantly for him: I know it gave him a lot of support.

“A fair few of us are still rocking it at the moment, so I think I might keep it for the year.”

On Sam Docherty:

“He had a lazy 38, so he’s warming back into it. He’s done everything right.

“That was a big game for him, not only for him mentally to get back from where he has come from, but to get the match conditioning in. He’s a pro.

“Knowing him, he’ll be doing everything he can to play and then it’s up to the coaches to decide if he’s ready or not.”

On his recent engagement:

“I was lucky enough that the borders opened, so the timing was perfect for me.

“My partner - my fiancé now - and I went back to Perth. I wouldn’t say I’m a romantic, I kept it pretty simple! But I got it done and we had family and friends over to celebrate.”