After missing the back half of 2018 through injury, Matt Suckling is determined to recapture his best form as the Western Bulldogs look to bounce back in 2019.

The 30-year-old is entering his 13^th year in the AFL system, and his fourth in red, white and blue.

He hopes the frustration of 2018, and the troublesome Achilles injury that restricted him, is now a thing of the past.

“I obviously missed the second half of last year, and up until Christmas I was just running, mainly in rehab,” Suckling told westernbulldogs.com.au, at the club’s pre-season camp at Mooloolaba.

“Personally, I wasn’t going too bad (last year before the injury), but the Achilles derailed that and I’ve been working really hard to get back to where I am now.

“I’m back into full training now, and doing match play and doing everything – completing full sessions. It’s pulling up well, I’m feeling good and excited for the start of the year.”

Suckling says having to sit and watch on through the back of last season is motivating him this year.

He enters the year as the fourth-oldest player on the Bulldogs’ list, and as just one-of-four players with more than 150 AFL games to his name.

The ‘experienced’ tag is something that now sits comfortably with him, in an emerging Bulldogs’ playing list with half of the group aged 23-or-under.

“It’s something I’ve grown to like, being an older person around the group,” Suckling said.

“There’s only a few older than me now, so I’m really enjoying that and having the young guys around me is really fun.”