“I’M BLOODY excited.”

Stronger words could not have been spoken by co-captain Sam Docherty as he joins the excited footy world in counting down the sleeps until Round 2.

Unable to immediately rebound from the disappointing loss in Round 1, Docherty believes that the ‘mini pre-season’ has provided the team ample opportunity to learn from the mistakes and re-focus on the task ahead for the remainder of the season.

Having spent so much time on the sidelines, it’s no surprise that Docherty is desperate for the ball to bounce and the season to be restarted, 

"It almost feels like a new year and a new opposition coming up,” Docherty said. 

“All credit to the Tiges: they came out firing. It felt like everything they were doing and everything they tried to do, they were doing it with pristine awareness.

“We had our work cut out in Round 1 and we had a go at it. We get to learn and live it once and now we put it into action individually to make sure we’re ready to go when the bounce goes.”

It may not be completely ‘business as usual’ heading into Saturday afternoon’s game, but the co-captain has welcomed the return to some form of normalcy with open arms.

Aware of the energy that Melbourne will also be bringing to Saturday’s game in search of its first win of the season, Docherty believed that the team would leave no stone unturned in their preparation for the game.

“They’re a great footy side,” he said. 

“We’re excited, we’re focused on what we can do as a footy club which is good for our group.

“We focus on what we can control mainly with respect to the opposition and understanding what they’re doing.”