The first session back from an extended break is cause for apprehension for most players, but forward Luke Dahlhaus says his young teammates are happy to get a head start on their elder counterparts.

“It’s the hardest part of the year, but it’s good to be back,” Dahlhaus said.

“It’s good for the younger blokes to get together for two weeks...and get a bit ahead of the older players.”

“When it comes to time trial time, we might be a little bit faster,” Dahlhaus joked.

Easing their way into the first day, the young brigade combined running, weights and some skills in the 90 minute session.

“We just had about 20 minutes of skills and a bit of light running… we’re just getting back into it,” Dahlhaus said.

The Bulldogs enjoyed a late surge of form in the second part of the 2013 season, and the enthusiasm to continue on that trend remains, according to Dahlhaus.

“Everyone has had a pretty good break I think, [but] everyone is ready to go,” the 21-year-old said.