If pre-season form is any indication, Koby Stevens is emerging as a vital cog in the Western Bulldogs midfield.

The 22-year-old, who has an insatiable desire to win the contest, has directed his energy towards improving his football over summer and the pay-off is beginning to show.

One of the best performed Bulldogs players during the NAB Challenge, Stevens highlighted his versatility both in the trenches and pushing forward to hit the scoreboard.

With the Bulldogs’ season opener just days away, the midfielder said there is improvement across the entire team as a result of a solid pre-season campaign.

“We notice ourselves that we have made gains over the pre-season and the boys are just raring to go and put those changes into place come Sunday,” Stevens said.

Fine-tuning skills and getting match ready has been high on the agenda for the Bulldogs this week, as competition for spots continues to heat up. 

“It’s a big week, obviously playing on a Sunday we have a fair few days in between so I think we will do a bit more skills and just focus on getting the body right,” he said.

Stevens said the energy levels around the kennel have spiked in the lead up to the Bulldogs’ season opener and his teammates look refreshed and are raring to go.

“You can always tell, there’s a little bit more excitement,” he said.

“It’s a little more upbeat around the club, you can tell – everyone is looking forward to round one that’s what we play [for].

“It’s been a long pre-season and a good pre-season and we are looking forward to going over to Perth.”