HIGH-PROFILE Collingwood recruit Daniel Wells admits he was not in peak physical condition when he arrived at the Magpies, largely due to not being able to train while on off-season trips overseas.
It follows earlier comments made on SEN radio in February by Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley, who revealed Wells "wasn't in match condition when he arrived".
"I had a couple of trips overseas and probably didn't have the opportunity to do much training and I was a bit sore coming back from finishing off that season," Wells told Fox Footy on Monday night.
"But there's no excuse. Every player needs to come back in good shape but I suppose that's what the pre-season is for as well.
"I came back and worked really hard to get back into good shape and it doesn't take me long, so I was always pretty confident."
Wells endured an injury-interrupted pre-season after suffering a setback to his troublesome calf last December.
The 32-year-old made his Collingwood debut in the Anzac Day blockbuster against Essendon in round five and showed his class in Sunday's upset 29-point win over Geelong, delivering precision kicks through the middle.
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Wells managed just 12 matches throughout 2014 and 2015 due to foot, calf and Achilles issues, but made positive inroads last season by playing 19 games.
He signed with the Magpies as an unrestricted free agent on a three-year deal during last year's NAB AFL Trade Period.
The smooth-moving onballer knocked back a two-year offer to stay at North Melbourne, where he played 243 games over 14 seasons.
Wells said the Kangaroos' decision to part ways with their four veterans – Brent Harvey, Drew Petrie, Michael Firrito and Nick Dal Santo – had no bearing on his desire to leave Arden Street.
"Every player has got their own journey to partake and I can't rely on other people to make my decisions, so it was purely something separate from those guys," Wells said.
"I left the club in pretty good terms and (I wanted) a bit of a change, a good opportunity and also the three years helped as well – it probably pushed me over the line."
