It's the Blues' first day back for 2019 and Matthew Kennedy is already counting down the days until Round 1.

With a handful of fresh faces joining the 188cm midfielder in the engine room this season, Kennedy said there was a lot to look forward to. 

“There’s a great excitement amongst the group and we’re excited to get stuck into Round 1 really,” he said. 

“I’ve got my old mate ‘Setters’ (Will Setterfield) from the Giants as well now and Sammy Walsh and Zac Fisher – there’s a few of us boys who have started to ramp up the training now. Before Christmas we had a really good solid block. 

“The start of pre-season has been a really good indicator for us that we’re going places as a midfield group and a team. The exciting bit of it is we’re all growing and learning together."

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There's no doubt the Carlton faithful will be watching the former Giant closely as he and his teammates take on season 2019. For Kennedy, the results will follow the effort.

"For us as a group it’s just about putting in the hard work now," he said.

"Obviously, this year we want to make it a really enjoyable year and wins help that. We want to give supporters and members a bit to look forward to in the future and really make them proud."

Injury troubles kept the 21-year-old to just 12 games in 2018. After successfully undergoing ankle surgery late last year, Kennedy said he had made a full recovery.

“I had the one ankle surgery during the off-season, which was a really good success. It all went well and I’m back into full training now," he said. 

“The body is feeling great now. I’ve done all of the pre-season training so far. I’m excited to make up for last year and have a really good crack this year and stay injury-free."