Without the distractions of Melbourne life, the 18 year-old relished the chance to travel with his teammates and focus purely on the game at hand.
“It was definitely a great experience going over to Adelaide, you are really immersed with all the other boys, so that was really helpful,” Macrae said.
“[I] got to spend time away with everyone and really prepare for the game and not have any distractions.
“Being away was probably a blessing in disguise – and also having Jake as his debut - we got to experience it together and all the older boys were really helpful in guiding us through that and gave us a lot of advice on how to handle it and not over think it.”
Macrae finished with 16 disposals, four tackles, four inside 50s and a goal in his first outing, showing glimpses of his pace, poise and agility that saw him drafted at pick six last year.
After playing in all four of the Bulldogs’ NAB Cup games, the Oakleigh Chargers recruit felt the intensity of the home and away season lift to another level – including the atmosphere created by a vocal Adelaide crows.
“Everything was a lot more intense and meant a lot more – it wasn’t just about going out there and having a run around in the NAB Cup,” he said.
“We want to win the game and you have got to do the structures right and then worry about getting a kick.”
The classy wingman’s second outing against Geelong on Saturday saw him start the game wearing the green substitute’s vest, which created a whole new experience again.
Posed with the challenge of working his way into the game, Macrae took it one contest at a time, drawing on advice and guidance from the coaching staff who directed him to take the game on.
“The coaches have been really helpful… they want us to try to take the game on – we will make plenty of mistakes along the way but that’s the way you get better,” he said
“I think the best thing about footy is you always have the next contest… the next play to front up.
“[They said] don’t shy away from making mistakes but try to learn from them and not make them again.”
