First-season coach Brendan McCartney unveiled a five-man leadership consisting of captain Matthew Boyd, Daniel Cross, Dale Morris, Daniel Giansiracusa and Robert Murphy in November with Cooney a notable absentee.

McCartney said at the time that it had to do with Cooney focusing on his rehabilitation of a troublesome knee injury.

While that was one of the reasons, it did not paint the full picture as Cooney revealed that form and attitude were other major factors in the decision.

''It had a lot to do with my attitude,'' Cooney said at a press conference at the Whitten Oval this morning.

''I suppose in the second half of the year I was pretty down.

''It’s embarrassing when you can’t play as well as you think you can and your body is not holding up.

''My attitude probably dropped off within the group and my leadership dropped off there.''

Cooney has shown encouraging signs on the training track over the past fortnight to suggest he will play a meaningful role with limited ground time in this year’s NAB Cup.

Medical staff have used a GPS tracking device to document Cooney’s every move and his output over the past two weeks was as strong as it has been since off-season surgery.

''It feels a lot better,’’ Cooney said, while revealing his knee is unlikely to ever be at 100%.

''It’s probably the most work I’ve done all preseason and I pulled up pretty well from that.’’

Cooney will play in tomorrow’s intra-club practice match at the Whitten Oval.

It will be the first time the Bulldogs' new predominantly red NAB Cup guernsey is worn.

The first bounce is at 9.30am.

* For Western Bulldogs coverage in 2012, follow Weekly sports reporter Lance Jenkinson on Twitter @westsport and tell him your thoughts on what is in store for the Doggies in the upcoming NAB Cup series and AFL season.