KEY forward Chris Dawes says he can’t wait to undertake some altitude training in Arizona, having previously experienced it with Collingwood.

Dawes, who had a frustrating first season with the Demons due to injury, is set to return to Flagstaff during his break. Teammate Mitch Clark, whose season ended after the opening four rounds due to a foot injury, is also set to join him.

“It’s something that I’ve done in the past, when I was playing at Collingwood, and I always responded really well to it, physically speaking,” Dawes told melbournefc.com.au.

“For me, it’s about not just going through the motions and doing the same program. When things haven’t gone the way I’d like with my own body, and when something needs to change, it’s about doing a bit more than just what everybody else is doing.

“For me, getting away and doing that two week training block, I’m going to get huge amounts out of that. The proof will be in the pudding, and we’ll see how I play next year.”

Dawes played 12 matches in 2013, but did not debut for the Demons until round seven against the Gold Coast Suns, after a hamstring injury interrupted his start. An ankle injury midway through the year, and a calf problem at the end of the 2013 season, added further frustration.

“It was a tough year, and it was so hard for the club. I really enjoyed that challenge, and it was one of the reasons why I came across here, because I wanted something like that to stimulate me,” he said.

“From my point of view, it was just frustrating, to best sum up the year. What I wanted to do to help the group, I wasn’t able to, and I never quite got going body wise.  When I did get up and going, I hurt my ankle in the Queen’s Birthday match. That triggered a new lot of injuries to deal with.

“When I did get up and going, I was carrying a calf [injury] into the last game and I ended up tearing my good calf, so it was just one of those years for me – nothing quite went right.”

Dawes put 2013 down to “one of those years”, but he was determined to bounce back and overcome his injury plagued season.

“When I finally got out of the woods, something new would crop up,” he said.

“The main thing is that I don’t battle with injuries now.

“But I can take my time getting my body right and, with a full pre-season behind me, I think I can be a lot more value than sitting in the stands watching.”