SAM WALSH was certainly a welcome addition to the Blues’ line-up in their 12-point win over the Bulldogs. 

Collecting 34 disposals, seven score involvements and five clearances on his return to the senior side, Walsh was just glad to be able to make an impact for his team. 

“It was great to be back out there: it’s hard when you’re watching from the sidelines,” Walsh said. 

“To be out there and crack in like we did tonight was great to be a part of, it was just awesome to finally try and get out there and help out the boys.” 

Walsh did more than try, solidifying himself into an already impressive midfield, alongside Patrick Cripps, George Hewett and Matt Kennedy. 

While the midfield makeup was slightly different to the last time Walsh laced up the boots, he had faith that the training he’d put in over the pre-season would hold him in good stead on the big stage. 

“When I came in, it was probably a bit of a different look than last time I played in there which was great and we’ve done a lot of work over the pre-season, so I sort of felt like it was back to training,” he said. 

“We’ve done a lot of intense drills together so I think that’s prepared us well.” 

Always a humble player, Walsh admitted he wanted to clean up his skills before next week, putting his own mark on the dynamic midfield brigade’s classy play. 

“I think for us, it’s just trying to keep it strong in there, keep the chemistry going and I just wanted to have my own spin on that and hopefully I can keep doing that,” he said. 

“I’ve still got a bit to work on, I was a bit scrappy with a few skills tonight so it would be good to keep working on that next week.” 

The Blues held a 31-point lead heading into the half-time break, but were forced to hold onto a rapidly diminishing lead as the second half progressed. 

Walsh noted that the side was able to stand up to the Bulldogs’ rampant pressure, and that they can hopefully take more than a few lessons out of their second-half performance. 

“I think they came out and lifted their pressure which you’re going to expect from a team like the Doggies,” he said. 

“I thought we dug in hard and some of the forwards converted some great goals and we still kept some pretty good pressure around the ball. 

“There were still positives out of it but there’s a bit to work on from that second half.” 

After a hectic week at IKON Park, where a number of players and staff entered AFL Health and Safety Protocols, Walsh was grateful for the staff and players that stepped up and allowed them to play their best footy when the time came. 

“I think the beauty of this club is that there are always people willing to help and I mentioned before about the players standing up, and so did the coaches,” he said. 

“I know 'Vossy' has faith in all his staff from him down and we’ve developed a real tight-knit group, not only as players but as staff and the footy department, so I think that was on show this week. 

“It actually gave us a bit of energy and I think in times like these, you’ve got to look at that as a positive and we did that tonight and it’s always good to get the reward at the end of it.”