Exciting forward Cody Weightman says being able to train without injury interruption has made all the difference this preseason.

The 22-year-old might be entering his fifth preseason on an AFL list, but this year marks the first in a while he hasn’t undergone off-season surgery – instead jetting off to New Zealand and Indonesia, to name a few, during the break.

“I’m feeling pretty good at the moment and no surgery is a massive win,” Weightman told AFL Media’s Footy Feed.

06:24

Weightman on travel, training and 'haters'

Sarah Olle goes one-on-one with Western Bulldogs forward Cody Weightman

“I definitely still train when I’m travelling. I think a big part of it is the fact that you go away, come back refreshed and actually want to run, rather than when I’ve had surgery and stayed here in Melbourne.

“To come back really refreshed is the main thing. You actually want to train hard because you’ve had worse facilities over there and it feels easier when you’re here.

“I had a few little (niggles) last year, and probably across my whole career so far but that’s just a part of footy really. It can be a brutal game, so that’s just how it is.

“The biggest thing for me is just that I’ve learnt how to play through injury – so when I do feel fresh it’s exciting.”

Weightman said while playing in front of the red, white and blue faithful is a dream come true, he embraces the external noise – good or bad.

“I’m just living the dream that I had as a five-year-old boy – to play in front of a big crowd, so I pinch myself that there are fans cheering for me, and even haters is pretty cool to be honest. Just the fact that people care is a bonus,” he said.

“(Us small forwards) probably aren’t as blessed at birth, so we’ve got to make that up with something. Whether it’s being a pest or having a bit of aggression - that’s probably where we try and do it.

“I think I’ve definitely gotten closer to a traditional small forward the longer I’ve been here – that’s because we’ve got so many bigs now that there is no need to use my aerial abilities as much.

“I still definitely need to keep that in my game because it makes me harder to play on – to be able to threaten in the air and on the ground is a real bonus.”