Carlton gun Sam Walsh is adamant his body can stand up for the duration of a new eight-year deal and insists injuries never came up when negotiating the length of his bumper contract.
Off the back of signing until the end of 2034, Walsh is also adamant changes made at Carlton can help deliver the success he so desperately craves.
Walsh, coming off an injury-affected 2025, would have been a free agent at season's end, with Geelong among the clubs keen on the hard-running midfielder.
But Walsh, 25, has signed the longest contract in Carlton history in a massive show of faith in the AFL club's direction.
A hamstring strain and broken foot ruined chunks of Walsh's 2025 while he battled a back issue, including a bulging disc, between 2021 and 2023.
"My body's feeling really good and the biggest thing for me is I've probably had a few hurdles for the last couple of years, but I've played seven years of footy and played 135 games so I'm pretty confident that I've still been able to stand up pretty strongly," Walsh said.
"And obviously the past two years has been challenging but I feel like I'm not going in hoping that I don't face an injury.
"I've been doing all the work and we play in a tough sport so if that's to come I know I'm going to be strong enough to bounce back."
Carlton have gambled on Walsh's fitness with the long-term deal.
"There's an element that that's the risk the club takes," Walsh said.
"For me it's the positive for the club also - (they're able) to plan around and know that I'm committing here and I'm going to try and bring as much as I can in that eight years, whether it's on or off the field.
"And the thing that I love about people that I had talks with throughout this conversation they didn't bring up injuries once.
"They spoke about the value of my character around the group and that's something that I want to shine through for the rest of the time here."
The former No.1 draft pick joins Melbourne's Kysaiah Pickett and Fremantle's Caleb Serong as the longest-signed players in the competition and was adamant he would still have plenty to give come 2034.
"I'd like to think I'm still up there playing some of my best footy," Walsh said.
The No.1 draft pick in 2018, Walsh won the AFL Rising Star award in his debut season in 2019.
The midfielder finished fourth in the Brownlow Medal, won Carlton's best and fairest and was All-Australian in 2021 while he won the Gary Ayres Medal for best finals player in 2023.
Co vice-captain Walsh will again be pivotal to Carlton's hopes after an off-season of change.
After the Blues missed the finals last year, finishing 11th, Chris Davies joined as football boss and Carlton changed up their assistants under coach Michael Voss.
"He's one of the stronger leaders I've seen in footy so far from what I've seen," Walsh said of Davies.
"Obviously with Wrighty (Graham Wright) taking on his position as CEO I think they've been decisive with some moves they've made.
Spearhead Charlie Curnow, defender Jack Silvagni and ruckman Tom De Koning departed, while Will Hayward, Ollie Florent (both Sydney) and Ben Ainsworth (Gold Coast) headlined several inclusions.
Walsh insisted leaving had never crossed his mind and believes the Blues are more "well-rounded" in their pursuit of success.
"We've delved in deep of the identity of a team we want to be this year and kept it about us, not about what other people think or what other teams are doing," he said.
"So that gave me a strong belief that we'll end up being the team we want to be if we can stick at that."
