Jarrad Waite has regained his passion for the game and the Carlton forward believes he is in a good position to play beyond 2014.
Waite, who turned 31 during the Blues' Australia Post Community Camp in Sale this week, managed 14 games last season because of calf and knee problems.
A one-match suspension also disrupted his season, which was criticised by captain Marc Murphy and resulted in Waite being fined by the club.
But after a scheduled cleanout on the knee he hurt in round 15, and a flawless pre-season so far, Waite is on track to appear in the Blues' NAB Challenge games that start on February 15 against North Melbourne.
"I'm a lot fitter than I have been in previous years," Waite told AFL.com.auin Sale.
"A lot of the time (in previous years) I haven't trained before Christmas so coming into NAB Cup I haven't been fully fit. But this year I'm really happy with where my body's at and really confident with it, and that's probably the best thing about doing pre-season.
"You feel confident with your body and your fitness and knowing your body is going to be able to handle the pressures of it."
Waite's positive pre-season began when he was on holiday after the Blues fell out of the finals race in a semi-final loss to the Sydney Swans.
He travelled to the United States, and despite the minor surgery on his left knee – the one he had reconstructed in 2009 - he found himself able to kick-start his training regime.
"I was able to do a lot of training over there by myself and I got a real urge for it back," he said.
"Being away and being able to do stuff, you get energised by it and the more fitness you do in the off-season, the more you want to do it.
"When I came to training, I wasn't as far behind as I had been."
He then travelled to Arizona for the Blues' training camp in December, and while he didn't take part in the lengthy hikes, he feels he emerged fitter.
Waite is entering the final season of the three-year contract he signed in October, 2011, but given the injury battles he's had in the past few years, he knows he'll need to earn a 14th season.
He has played 62 games in five seasons and realises he'll need to prove his body can stand up to football to be offered another contract.
However, he thinks his pre-season and revitalised mindset have left him with a solid foundation to play on beyond this year.
"Hopefully I can play a couple more years. Mentally wise, I'm feeling fresh and I don't really feel like a 31-year-old," he said.
"All the boys sort of give me crap because I act like an 18-year-old around here.
"Mentally, I feel like I could play for a couple more years. It's probably just the body and seeing how that is.
"I'll sum it up at the end of the year and we'll see what happens."
His management isn't yet talking to the Blues about what happens next, and Waite doesn't expect conversations to take place until he's strung some games together.
He knows any new deal won't be a lengthy one – "I would assume with the age I'm at now, it would be a one-year contracts" – but he just wants to prove he can play more games than the 12 he's averaged since 2009.
"I know that I'm getting towards the end of my career and a couple more years would be great but I've just got to play football and my No.1 concern is my body," he said.
"It's probably why I've gone to the lengths this year to keep it in as good condition as it is, and I just want to play more games and help the team.
"I'm feeling the best I've felt in a long time at this time of year and I'm really looking forward to the year and I think we can definitely improve from last year."
