The word coming out of the VU Whitten Oval over the summer was that ruckman Tom Campbell looked set for a breakout year but as often happens with football, injuries spoilt the party.

However, an injury to Tom Boyd against Carlton opened up a spot, and working in tandem with Jordan Roughead, Campbell was an influential figure in the Dogs’ 53 point win over Brisbane at Etihad Stadium last night.

Speaking to westernbulldogs.com.au<http://westernbulldogs.com.au> in the rooms post match, Campbell said he was pleased to get his opportunity.

“It’s been good to come into the team that’s been winning, he said.

“It was frustrating to get a couple of injuries late in the pre-season but I’m fighting fit now."

The growth in Campbell’s confidence was tangible as the game went on, the big man finishing with 16 disposals, five inside 50s and seven marks, including three contested grabs in the first term that appeared to set up his night.

The 24-year-old also had a game-high 22 hitouts, as well as three clearances.

“Taking a couple of marks early helps, just being able to jump at the footy all night was really good for me.”

It was an at times bruising contest, but Campbell said that he wasn’t surprised by the physicality of the Lions.

“We know that Brisbane have a lot of depth around the footy and they’ve got some strong bodies in there so we knew it was going to be tough.

“We had a real focus on keeping the pressure on them all night, and I felt we did that.

“There were a couple of lulls in the game but we kept the pressure on them right the way through”