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WESTERN Bulldogs captain Bob Murphy is ready to launch into pre-season training on Monday having moved on physically and emotionally from his season-ending knee injury.
Murphy, who is ahead of schedule after undergoing a knee reconstruction in April, has enjoyed a "smooth" rehabilitation that will allow him to hit the ground running in the pre-Christmas training period.
The 34-year-old said he would only be held out of select drills through December, before joining the main group full time from the start of January.
"Apart from the competitive footy stuff, I won't do that until after Christmas, but everything else, I'll just be another bare bum in the shower," Murphy told AFL.com.au.
"The knee feels good, it feels strong and healthy, and I haven't had any hiccups there … it's been a pretty smooth rehab.
"I actually forget about the knee when I'm training now. It's not in the front of my mind, which is a good thing.
"I'll be ready to go when we start on Monday."
Murphy's injury more than seven months ago, and his role from the sidelines in the Bulldogs' historic premiership, was one of the stories of the 2016 season.
It ended with Murphy on the Grand Final dais with coach Luke Beveridge, accepting the Jock McHale Medal that will now reside in the Bulldogs' museum.
With the drama of 2016 now behind him, Murphy was looking forward to returning on Monday as just another player working towards round one next year.
"It's the routine, you get back in the change rooms, put your kit on and get out there and have a kick," he said.
"It'll be business as usual really, I'm just back as a player.
"I don't think my role changed much last year except that I wasn't able to get out there on the weekends."
The past two months since the Bulldogs' drought-breaking premiership have seen Murphy sharing the emotion of the club's achievement with supporters.
It's been a "pretty wild couple of months and very emotional" as supporters work their way through an unfamiliar feeling.
"I'm still getting stopped by people in the street who get emotional," Murphy said.
"I bumped into a guy in the city who recognised me and stopped and he was one of the kids who was rattling tins on the street in '89.
"He just started crying about how important the Bulldogs winning a premiership is.
"That's one of 50 stories I've had, and all the other players and coaches have had similar … we felt that wave of just how big it was."
