Jordan Murdoch, who is set to kick off his third season with the Cats, says he’s feeling equipped and ready to take on his biggest year yet.

Through his development over the past two years the young forward has produced some exciting and memorable flashes of play during his 19 AFL games.

However, unfortunately not every game has left Murdoch with a positive memory.

The first time he ever stepped foot onto the MCG he left with a feeling that would haunt him, when the Cats experienced a devastating sinking, of 16 points, by the Dockers in the Elimination Final in 2012.

“I had bad memories of the MCG from then on,” Murdoch told News Limited.

“I hurt my foot and got subbed off near half time. It was an experience, it wasn’t a good one though - it was a really average night.

Despite starting off on the wrong foot, Murdoch no longer dreads the AFL’s biggest stage – instead he craves it.   

“But I look forward to playing on the MCG now. It’s a good ground, it suits the way I want to play - it’s nice and wide.”

Although the young Cat was hit with the same devastating result at the MCG after last year’s Preliminary Final, Murdoch was now a completely different Cat. Last year he had not only played in the opening blockbuster against the Hawks but he had performed a career best in Round 15, where he came away with 3 goals, four marks and 17 disposals against the reigning premiers.

“It was a real buzz,” he said.

“And playing the preliminary final, too.

“Having played Hawthorn twice that year before, the preliminary final didn’t feel that much bigger in terms of the crowd, so I found I was able to cope all right.”

You could say that these excruciating defeats have only given the 21-year-old a tougher skin and a hungrier thirst for success, as the pain is still raw.  

“Obviously the result was devastating and that will haunt us for a while I reckon.”

This year Murdoch’s number one goal is to improve his consistency so he can retain a regular spot in the senior side.

It’s just a consistency thing,” he said.

“I played 11 games and finished in the prelim side, so that was a positive, but I was up and down a bit during the year so this year I want to get into the side and stay in.

“I’m always working on my versatility. If you come to Geelong you’ve got to know all the roles on the ground really.”

This year the pressure does sit with the younger playing group due to the loss of a number of veterans, however Murdoch doesn’t feel perturbed by the upcoming challenge.

It sits well with me,” Murdoch said.

“We’re under no illusion that we need to step up.

“The first-to-fifth-year players, there’s a lot of good young players in that bracket who need to step up and I think we can.

“There’s a lot of guys here who are very one-minded in what they want.

“Yes, we’ve lost a lot of senior players, but I think a lot more guys will get the opportunity to step up. Josh Caddy will play in the midfield more. He’s already shown in the pre-season how good he’s going to be.

The Cats also look forward to a number of influential players to return from injury before they delve into the business end of the season.

“We’re going to get Motts (Steven Motlop) and Bundy (Allen Christensen) back during the year, and hopefully Menz (Daniel Menzel) as well.

“Like last year, we’ll be touted as a team that will be around the mark again but may struggle because we’ve lost some experience.

“But I think if we play the way we want to play and have the best team on the park, that no one is going to get near us.”