WESTERN Bulldogs defender Dale Morris says he would "definitely" put his hand up again to play for Australia, if the International Rules series against Ireland was reintroduced.

Morris, who represented Australia twice in 2005, spoke of his enthusiasm for the concept at a media conference at Telstra Dome, in the lead-up to his side's clash against Essendon on Friday night.

"[The International Rules series] was heaps of fun, heaps of fun," Morris said.

"Getting to know other players in the competition as well and the way they go about things – it was a heap of fun. I hadn't kicked a round ball ever, so it was a learning experience for myself.

"When I was younger and going for Essendon … and then I had [former coach Kevin] Sheedy coaching me at the time and that was a bit of a buzz.

"I hope they do bring it back. It was a lot of fun and I know all of the boys in '05, when I did it, had heaps of fun and we just started winning too. So if we can get that back and get a few more wins against them, it'd be a bonus."

Meanwhile, Morris believes his team has fully recovered from its opening-round NAB Cup win in Darwin.

"It was hot and humid up there – it always is in Darwin, playing in totally different conditions to what we're used to," Morris said.

"We've recovered and we've had all the steps in place this week to get the body up and running for Friday night, so we'll be ready to go."

He added he was also relishing the opportunity to be in the club's leadership this year.

"I'm thoroughly enjoying it. It's adding another dimension to myself and it's good to be voted in by the players," Morris said.

"It shows that they want you in there as well and it's all a learning experience for myself at this point in time. I'm learning from 'Johnno' [Brad Johnson] and 'Westy' [Scott West] and all of those blokes that have been in there for a long time.

"If I can add something to that leadership, I've done my job."