ADAM Saad is trying to contain his excitement ahead of the 2022 AFL season. 

With a tough pre-season over and done with, Saad said the playing group's focus for the next week was fine-tuning their training a week out from Round 1. 

“You’ve got to contain your excitement, it’s still session by session and not just focusing on Thursday night,” Saad said. 

“We’ve still got seven days until we start playing, a couple of sessions in between that: it’s more short and sharp and making sure the intensity is there, as well as fine-tuning all the work we’ve done in pre-season.” 

Round 1 will mark 12 months since Saad's Carlton debut: a game where he immediately drew the appreciation of his new supporters, capped off by a final-quarter rundown tackle. 

However, a year on, Saad feels much more settled in the Navy Blue, having negotiated a 2021 calendar year which saw him become a new father while also dealing with Covid interruptions from a football standpoint.

“There was a lot happening last year, with Covid and my daughter was born last year as well,” he said.  

“I was pretty busy but I’m a lot more settled now. 

“I’ve done the majority of the pre-season and I’ve put in a lot of work. I’m more settled and more comfortable is the best way to put it, I’m looking forward to next week."

With more time at the Club comes greater connection: despite it being early into a new year with a brand-new coaching group, Saad believes that's something which has shone through in recent months.

“It’s still early to tell, but it felt a lot more connected out there,” he said. 

“We’re building the trust and belief within our game plan and it’s going to take time.” 

For Saad, he’s playing a role he’s been very comfortable with over his career at Gold Coast and Essendon, and has enjoyed the ability to showcase his offensive and defensive talents across half-back.

“For me, it’s a similar role to what I’ve been playing throughout my whole career,” he said.  

“Playing half-back, defending and attacking and having that balanced game.” 

The Blues were able to showcase what they’ve been working on during the pre-season under a new coach and game plan, but they're under no illusions that it's all about what's to come on Thursday night and beyond.

“Our goals were to play the best footy that we can and implement our game plan as best we can,” he said. 

“There’s ebbs and flows and momentum shifts, but I think we were up by 40 points at one stage and with our new game plan, we were trying to implement what we’ve been doing over all pre-season.

"Now, I think we're ready to go for next week."