After reaching the top-eight for the first time in 2003, the Dockers have been unable to repeat the feat since, with Bell admitting the past failures had been a motivating factor over the pre-season.
"I think it's been stated that we'd love to participate in finals football," Bell said on Wednesday.
"We've been very close the last two years, but this year we'd certainly like to get in there and start winning some finals."
"To be 11-11 in the last two seasons and not make the finals has been a bitter pill to swallow, and certainly we don't want to be in that position again."
"We've got a lot to prove this year. We've done a lot of work, and it's fair to say we've been strongly motivated by the disappointments of the season's past."
Bell said he was confident the team's excellent pre-season had left them in good shape heading into the season proper, and believed the squad had the right mix of youth and experience to launch a serious finals campaign.
"We've got a very experienced group, and we've been thrilled with the application over the pre-season," he said.
"We've got a lot of confidence in each others fitness levels, and we've really challenged each other in those aspects and indeed in many other aspects at the football club."
"The feel around the club is terrific, and there's a lot of excitement and enthusiasm and I think that will be vindicated by performance."
"We are really looking forward to the challenge of Hawthorn in less than a fortnight."
