Second year midfielder Clay Smith’s performance against Collingwood on Friday night indicated he hasn’t lost his appetite to win the ball – gathering a game high 14 possessions in 40 minutes of game time.

While the Bulldogs were accounted for on the night by a margin of 18 points, Smith said there were a number of good signs to take out of the first hitout for the year – including his teammates’ ability to take the game on.

“We played well and we took the game on but just let a couple of easy goals go off the back of [poor] defence,” Smith said.

“So we will tighten that up, go back to training over the next couple of weeks – it will be pretty solid I think – and we will be ready to crack out [against] Hawthorn.”

The 19-year-old said the first game of the season is a challenge, regardless of how well the foundations are laid in the pre-season but he feels fitter and stronger than his debut year where he played 16 games.

“The body feels stronger… I’m up at about 84kg now, so I’ve put on three kilos from last year, I feel stronger [and] feel fitter,” he said.