The recently-retired Darcy said the Dogs had a healthy list on paper and he was excited about their prospects after watching them in the pre-season.

But he was worried about some early minor injuries sustained by the side's back half and believes such complaints could once again cripple the club's year. 

"I've seen a little bit of them on the TV and I went and watched their last practice game for a half on the weekend," Darcy told afl.com.au.

"There are some really good signs. Obviously the inclusions have been really good, Scotty Welsh and Ben Hudson are really good players.

“The worry is their defence.

“Brian Lake has missed a big chunk with his hip and Andrejs Everitt getting injured isn't great and Tom Williams missing a bit of training isn't great either.

"That might be a bit of a challenge for them to overcome but when I look at the side I believe that when they get their best side on the park fully fit, they're a really good side."

The former ruckman is most excited about the Dogs attacking half which has been bolstered by the recruitment of Scott Welsh and the use of Will Minson as a forward target.

"Their forward line, if it fully functions and they can keep it there and Will can get into the contests in the goal-square, and Robert Murphy at centre-half forward, Aker, Brad Johnson, Scott Welsh and Scott Higgins – it's a pretty talented bunch," he said.

"So, if all goes well and they stay there, they'll be pretty potent."

Darcy has been active in a business sense since leaving the game, racking up a number of media commitments to keep his mind from any desire to play.

Consequently the thought of watching football as opposed to playing it is one he's quite comfortable with.

"I was at the NAB Cup grand final on Saturday night and it was 40 degrees, and playing felt a long way behind me," he said.

"Maybe at some stage I will miss it. I've had so much to do, and there are a lot of things I'm looking forward to doing.

"I'm really enjoying working for Channel 10 and doing commentary. I'm also on radio SEN this year, so I've got a pretty busy schedule.

"The AFL coaching stuff I'm doing with Nathan Buckley, Michael Voss and Jason McCartney has been really good, and we're going to South Africa at Easter for a couple of weeks, so there's plenty to do and little time to miss playing."