Toby McLean may only be 22, but in the Western Bulldogs locker room he’s no longer a young pup.

McLean has strung together 60 career games since he was drafted as a high-flying forward in 2014.

He had a breakthrough 2017 season, plying his trade through the midfield and taking his game to another level.

McLean was one of two Bulldogs (the other was Jason Johannisen) to play all 22 matches this year.

“To play every game and be part of the side every week has been a really good thing,” McLean told westernbulldogs.com.au.

“The more games that you play, the more years that you’re here at the club, the more confident you get.  You know what you have to do, you know your role. It becomes a lot clearer and you get to lead by example as well.”

McLean led the Bulldogs’ tackles with 126 for the season, averaging 5.7 a game (a career high), but also made improvements across his whole game.  He finished 14th in the competition for total tackles and averaged 24 disposals per match.

“The more mid time I’ve played, the more I enjoy my footy - being around the ball, being around the superstars of the competition and getting to play beside them as well,” he said.

“It’s definitely where I’d like to see more of my time spent next year.”

McLean said the Bulldogs’ two-point triumph over Geelong in June galvanised the playing group after a difficult period.

“I really enjoyed that game.  I know it came down to the last kick, so it was sort of heart in mouth stuff.  We had a rough few weeks and to come out on top of a pretty good side who played finals this year, that was probably my highlight for the year.”

Constantly learning, McLean will use this pre-season as a springboard to build towards 2019.  

“Every player has their little tricks that they’ve got up their sleeve.  A lot of players have really good strength that they use to their advantage and I’ve got to try and find my strengths that I can use against them as well,” he said.

“It’s my fourth year now so I feel a lot stronger not only all round but especially in the legs, getting the drive through those tackles especially under fatigue.  Running and trying to break those tackles is a big focus.

“I’ll have a few weeks off and get straight back into the running.  I want to keep my fitness up but also enjoy the break at the same time.  Every year I look to become bigger and stronger as everyone does.  To become fitter will help my game.”