Essendon dynamo Alwyn Davey will begin full pre-season training in less than two weeks with hopes of making a big impact in 2010.

A serious knee injury in 2008, followed by a shoulder injury last season limited the 24-year-old’s ability to deliver on the potential that saw him drafted to Essendon in 2006.
However after undergoing surgery in October and having almost returned to full fitness, Davey is confident his luck will change.

“This year is the year for me. Hopefully I have no injuries and my body stays in good condition all year,” Davey told essendonfc.com.au.

“I’m excited about the new year and seeing how our guys stand up to the challenges next season.

“Hopefully we can use our experiences from last season to give ourselves a chance in the finals next year.”

The Bombers officially commenced pre-season on Monday, spending most of the first two days in meetings before kicking off their testing at the State Netball and Hockey Centre today.

The first skills training session will take place at Windy Hill on Friday but Davey - who spent two weeks of his break in Darwin where he completed light training with his former team, the Palmerston Magpies - will avoid contact drills for the first two weeks as a precaution.

“I won’t be participating in everything for the first couple of weeks but after that it will be full on,” he said.

“The break has been too long. Six to eight weeks has been a long break and I have got a bit bored at home. It is good to be back at the club and getting into it.""

The young father of three rejected the view that the 2010 AFL fixture was bad for the club saying it is an opportunity for him and his young band of teammates to challange and learn from some of the AFL’s best sides.

“I don’t mind it. I see it as a chance to see where we are at and test ourselves against the best teams in the competition,” Davey said.

“It will be a challenge for us but if we can play good footy and stick to our game we should go alright.”