Josh Addo-Carr has declared he is the fittest and happiest he has ever been despite a stop-start season at resurgent Canterbury.
Now that he's back on the field, the star winger is "hyped" to capitalise on a career-best pre-season as the Bulldogs push to a fairytale NRL finals berth.
A luckless run of injuries has rubbed speed machine Addo-Carr out from nine of the fifth-placed Bulldogs' 20 games so far this season.
The 29-year-old lasted only 40 minutes of the round-one clash against Parramatta before succumbing to a shoulder injury, and was then concussed in a tackle from Latrell Mitchell on return to the field against South Sydney on Good Friday.
Most devastatingly, Addo-Carr had his hopes of a NSW recall dashed by a hamstring injury that sidelined him for more than two months shortly after he missed selection in State of Origin I.
"It's disappointing the way things panned out," Addo-Carr told AAP.
"I trained so hard over the off-season and obviously through the pre-season, to get a few niggles throughout the season doesn't help."
That has been the deepest frustration for Addo-Carr, who put together a personal-best summer in a bid to help the Bulldogs recover from last season's 15th-placed finish.
The 29-year-old adopted a carnivore diet for three months and trained up to four times a day, juggling a boxing regimen with sprint training and weight sessions.
His fixation with his fitness made him a popular target for teammates' jibes.
"I can't explain how hard I trained over the off-season," he said.
"I blew up like a balloon, in a good way. I'm the heaviest I've ever been.
"I'm maintaining my muscle and my weight at the moment, which is good. For the modern game these days, you have to be strong coming out of the backfield. I feel like I've really improved that.
"I feel like this is the fittest I've ever been."
Two games back from his hamstring issue and Addo-Carr is finally in position to reap the rewards of his hard work, just as the Bulldogs sit on the cusp of their first finals berth since 2016.
Beat the Dolphins in Bundaberg this Saturday and Canterbury could climb into the top four for the first time in seven years.
That would be fitting reward for former Melbourne star Addo-Carr, not just for his pre-season, but for his faith in the Bulldogs during a lean first two seasons.
"I'm so hyped, I honestly love coming into training every day. I'm the happiest I've ever been," he said.
"I've been here for the tough times and I'm glad I'm here for the good times. I signed here for a reason and I always said that we were heading in the right direction.
"Look at us now, we know we have a lot of hard work ahead of us but I'm happy."
