MICHAEL Walters is back in full training and eying extended time in the midfield in 2018, with the Fremantle forward keen to capitalise on the career-best form he found this season.
The 26-year-old damaged his left posterior cruciate ligament in July; the third time he's suffered a knee injury of that nature.
After returning to pre-season training early last month, Walters has graduated from a modified program and is now taking part in all of the Dockers' drills.
"I've been in [full training] for the past week," Walters said on Monday.
"The knee is coming along good and it's just good to be out there training with the boys."
It was during the final quarter of the Dockers' round 18 loss to Hawthorn he suffered the minor tear to his PCL.
The decision to let it heal naturally was made, which cost him the rest of the 2017 campaign in a season where he was leading the club's goal-kicking and was in All Australian contention.
Walters then kicked off his pre-season training regime early, and is now running freely with precautionary strapping tape the only remnant of the injury.
"We didn't want to have surgery because it was going to set me back a bit longer," he said.
"If you're going to do a knee, you'd rather do the PCL. I've done it twice before so the recovery is pretty quick and easy.
"This one gave me a little bit of trouble so far during the off-season but it's all good now and I'm back training."
Walters said he was training with both the midfielders and forwards in a bid to become even more versatile in 2018.
"I love kicking goals, but I love getting a kick as well," he said.
"Whenever I get a chance to go in [the midfield], I'll be raring to go.
"We've got a pretty good group now, we’ve got players who can swing into the midfield and also play forward.
"We've got Harley Bennell coming back in and 'Ballas' [Hayden Ballantyne] who can also do it as well.
"It's a pretty good group, and the majority of us are trying to work on our craft and build our game and make it better than last year."
Walters said ex-Sun Brandon Matera, who has been recruited to help boost the Dockers' firepower, had impressed since arriving after battling his own injury issues in the second half of the season.
Matera also started pre-season early after a stress fracture in his fourth metatarsal ruined his last year at Gold Coast.
"He's a good player, we saw what he could do at Gold Coast," Walters said.
"I think he's played over 100 games now and he's that sort of player who can change a game and turn it on its head.
"It's good to have him here at the club and there's no doubt he's been working his butt off on a consistent basis so far over the last two to three weeks."
