A NEW city and a new club has been the rejuvenation that Justin Sherman needed, according to the Bulldogs recruit.

Sherman had 26 touches and kicked a goal in his second game for the Bulldogs, which just happened to be his first against former side the Brisbane Lions.

He says he couldn't be happier with his life, which is a big reason why his football has improved from the inconsistency that marked his final few seasons with the Lions.

"I'm happy again, I'm loving footy. When I'm playing my best footy is when I'm happy and I'm enjoying the game. That's why I made the move down here (to Melbourne) and so far I've got that enjoyment back in my footy," Sherman said.

The 24-year-old admitted that happiness eluded him as his career as a Lion came to a close.

"The last few years I started to get a bit stale. I started not to enjoy it. To be quite honest I wasn't giving 100 per cent every week and when you get to that stage you've got to weigh up your options and mine were that I needed a fresh start," he said.

"I needed something that was going to spur me on in the last half of my career and hopefully maximise my opportunity while I have it."

A big win against his old team might be a good reason to feel smug, but Sherman said he felt for his former teammates who were on the end of a 78-point thumping on Sunday.

"It's a big transition for them at the moment. They have got a young squad and a lot of great pick-ups through the draft and the pre-season. I expect big things from them in the next few years, there's no doubt about that," he said.

"The kids on show out there today, some of them were really good. It's fair to say that it might take a couple of years but there are big signs there for the Lions."

The highlight of Sherman's day came at the 21-minute mark of the second quarter when a checkside shot on the run bounced through for a goal.

"I didn't see the Lions guy in the square, I had seen the goals and thought if I could somehow checkside it and roll it through it might make it," he said.

"It was one of those things, it was instinctive and I just chucked it on the boot. I was pretty happy to kick a goal."

Justin Sherman is a $277,700 midfielder in the Toyota AFL Dream Team competition.