A MESSAGE from Carlton to 'be himself' has helped land Tom Bugg at Ikon Park.

Delisted at Melbourne earlier in the year, Bugg had been training with the Blues before he was officially recruited to the club in the NAB AFL Rookie Draft last Friday.

Having earned an opportunity on a third list – having also featured for Greater Western Sydney – Bugg said he would keep playing with a strong physical edge at Carlton.

"I met with Brendon Bolton and Stephen Silvagni and they really instilled in me that they believe in me," Bugg said.

"They want me to be myself, so I'm excited with the fresh start. There's a lot of energy in the young guys and some strong leadership, which I've seen in the last two weeks."

Bugg earned a host of criticism from the AFL community after his ban for knocking out Callum Mills last year, but believes he has learned a lot from the unfortunate situation.

"Everyone goes through different adversities and I had to go through that," Bugg said.

"The club had strong support around me at the time, but I'm a really contested and physical player and I'll keep doing that."

Bugg did not return to Melbourne's team after round four despite a four-goal haul against North Melbourne the week prior.

Despite acknowledging that it was a difficult year, the 25-year-old said he held no hard feelings towards anyone at the Demons and understood the strength of their side.

"It was really hard," Bugg said.

"But it wasn't about me, it was about the team. I tried to play really consistent football and put in some really strong performances to push other guys up.

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Baggers. #BoundByBlue

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"As you could see, we had a lot of quality players, so I wasn't the only one struggling to get an opportunity."

Bugg was one of the six new Blues recruits to receive their new guernsey numbers on Monday, taking No.40.

Prized No.1 pick Sam Walsh will don No.18, while fellow first-round pick Liam Stocker will wear No.13.

Father-son Blue Ben Silvagni (37), Finbar O'Dwyer (38) and former Saint Hugh Goddard (45) were also on hand at Ikon Park to show off their new numbers.

Bugg's life at Ikon Park officially kicked off on Friday. Here's the best of the 96-gamer.#BoundByBlue — Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) November 24, 2018