WARRNAMBOOL recruit Travis Graham knows he must work hard to regain his spot in the Blues' best 21.
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The key forward has returned to the Hampden league club after two seasons away.
Graham, 33, played for Wimmera league club Stawell in 2017 before kicking 46 goals for Warrnambool and District league outfit Nirranda in a premiership season last year.
The Warrnambool premiership player said he would have to work hard to earn senior selection come round one on April 6.
Graham, who is expecting his second child with wife Anna in August, admitted "trying to get fit" was his main challenge.
"You do the running and think you're going all right but there's still a little bit to do," he said.
"By no means am I expecting to walk in and get a game for sure.
"I want to actually earn my spot. I know I am older now but I have had no injuries so we'll see how we go."
Graham would love to feature in a Blues' forward line boasting interleague representative Sam Cowling, NEAFL recruit Darren Ewing, brothers Jed and Jye Turland and emerging teenager Harry Ryan.
"I have been good mates with Darren Ewing for years so to go back and see him is good," he said.
"He's been a gun since day dot. I remember opening the paper and he'd kicked 10 in the under 16s in Penshurst and played seniors and probably kicked another five or six. He was born to kick goals.
"I am looking forward to seeing 'Moo' (Cowling) off the leash again too, at least he's not going to have two or three blokes hanging off him."
Graham has strong family ties to Warrnambool and is excited to play under second-year coach Matt O'Brien.
"He has got them all level-headed again and got them playing as a good unit and by all reports from Will Jacobs and blokes like that, they've all got praise for him," he said.
"Jye and Jed always say 'he's very clever'."
Graham's younger brother Darcy will spend a season on the sidelines.
The midfielder, 25, was preparing for his NEAFL debut with Redland after joining the Bombers in the off-season before he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury at training last week.
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