Toby McLean says that the big round one win over the Dockers felt like a reward for all of the hard work put in over the pre-season at the kennel.

The Dogs got off to a blistering seven goal to zero start on Sunday afternoon, eventually getting over Ross Lyon’s men by 65-points to finish the opening round on top of the ladder.

Speaking to westernbulldogs.com.au before training on Tuesday morning, McLean said that running out for round one was a mixture of relief and excitement for the group, and after a long summer, it was pretty special to get out on the park in front of the red, white and blue faithful.

“Everyone worked hard over the pre-season, and to get the reward was a great feeling.”

The Bulldogs were challenged in the third term, but were able to hold the line behind career best performances from Jason Johannisen and Shane Biggs, McLean crediting the Dogs defence for halting the Dockers charge.

“They did come at us in the third quarter, but I thought we held our nerve, especially with our quality of backs down there.

“They really stood up I think.”

McLean put together a solid afternoon, amassing 22 touches, seven of them contested, and a goal, but the day was all about getting out there with his teammates for premiership points after a long break.

“You train with them all pre-season, so to finally play with them, get around each other, it was a great feeling.”