Ward, 19, completed his first full pre-season throughout the warmer months after coming to the club in November 2008.
He wasn't restricted from any facets of Bill Davoren's [head of physical conditioning] punishing schedule, and was allowed to build up a fitness base his young body had not previously experienced.
Ward said it was this level of physical form that had enabled him to last 14 senior games – many of which have been bone-crunching, hard-running experiences – without needing a break.
"I'm feeling pretty good at the moment because I got a pretty good pre-season into me," he said.
"If you have that base at the start of the year, you can run out the year pretty well.
"I couldn't have done this last year; I had a few niggles and injuries throughout the year.
"Now, I don't think I'll need a rest before the finals. I haven't seen any signs of fatigue over the last few weeks, so as long as I keep performing okay, I don't think I'll need a rest.
"If you look at Brad Johnson, who's playing his 342nd game this weekend, he talks about pre-seasons being the most important part of the year for your body, and that's true."
Ward, who was dropped from the side earlier in the season for three weeks owing to a need to develop the uncontested side of his game, said he felt he had improved since his brief VFL stint.
However, he acknowledged he still had work to do in order to be assured a consistent spot in the side.
"I think I've been going okay, but I'm still trying to find some form at the moment," he said.
"There are a few areas of my game that I think I've improved on over the past six weeks, but there is still work to do.
"I've improved on my uncontested possessions a fair bit. On the weekend, I think I only had 12 possessions and about 10 of them were uncontested.
"It used to be about half-half. Now I need to work on how to spread from the contest defensively.
"If there's a turnover, I need to learn to pick up a man and just work on my defensive style of the game."
Having been overlooked for last year's finals series, Ward has his sights set firmly on playing well enough to force his selection this September.
"It's a fantastic feeling to think we can actually have a good run at playing in the grand final, because that's only step further than last year," he said.
"For me, it's exciting even though it's a few weeks away. I still need to hold my spot in the team and we've got a few good players pushing in the VFL, so as long as I keep performing, I'll be contention.
"It's a pretty exciting time at the club at the moment, and it's great to be a part of."
However, he is well aware of the pressure coming from Bulldog-listed players currently performing in the top-of-the-table Williamstown side.
He named Sam Reid, Guy O'Keefe and Dylan Addison as the main players who could take his spot in the midfield, and also said Brennan Stack could nab his position as a rotating half-forward if he's not careful.
"My position is a broad position because I can play mainly in the midfield, or on the wing or at half-forward, which I've been doing a few times over the last few weeks," he said.
"They're always applying the pressure on me, so I have to stay on my guard."
