For the trivia buffs it’s a football curio that Dylan Buckley sports the No.7 not only worn by Brett Ratten at Carlton but also by Ratten’s coaching successor Mick Malthouse when the latter chased the footy for Richmond at Punt Road.

But of broader significance for Dylan is that whenever he dons the coveted dark Navy Blue guernsey thesedays he’s finding the exercise a tad more difficult - for the kid from Ivanhoe Grammar is filling out.

Having tipped the scales at just 67 kilograms on arrival at Visy Park, Dylan has already ticked the box in terms of the playing weight he’ll take into the 2013 season proper. 

“I’ve put on about four kilograms over the break,” said Dylan, who’s now fast approaching his 20th birthday.

“I’m at 75 kilos now and 75 kilos was my goal at the start of this pre-season - and now that I’m at my ideal weight my goal is to keep that weight on and to basically get as strong as I can.”

It should be remembered that Dylan, taken by Carlton with its third round national draft selection under the father/son in 2011, didn’t commence training until just prior to last Christmas, the legacy of a serious ankle injury sustained at junior football level.

The then final year VCE student the made the cut for the NAB Cup opener, memorably thumping a post-high goal with his first kick, in the contest with Adelaide at AAMI Park.

Soon after, he ruptured the tendon in the ring finger on his left hand when the digit got caught in a guernsey during a training session at Visy Park, and spent weeks out of action, before resuming through the Northern Blues and gaining from each game.

Fresh from the 14-day Arizona operation, where he successfully negotiated the recent Mt Humphreys and Grand Canyon treks, Dylan found it difficult to put into words what the experience meant for him, particularly given the with the new coach’s sizable presence.

“Arizona was amazing, I just loved it,” Dylan declared. “To get over there, meet Mick (Malthouse) and see what he’s about was terrific. Everyone who heard Mick speak was captivated by him and what he had to say. He’s got a very high level of respect from the boys already.

“He’s told all of us to be the best that we can be and not to put limits on ourselves.”

To that end, Dylan is channelling all his energies into breaking into the Carlton senior 22 at some stage in the impending season.

“My goal is to play a senior game next year, but also to try to play consistent footy, because if I play consistent footy hopefully I get the opportunity,” he said.