After a breakout season which was capped off with a fifth place finish in North’s Syd Barker Medal, Ben Cunnington is ready to rise even further

Named along with Shaun Atley as one of North’s big improvers so far this pre-season by Brent Harvey during a media conference on Monday, the midfielder has told The Age’s Emma Quayle he feels more at home on the ground.

“I suppose when myself and a few other young guys came, we didn't have much depth in the midfield and the coaches just kept putting games into us to try and fast-track us. They were really good at giving us reassurance, but looking back it was a bit of a roller coaster,'' Cunnington said.

''You'd be excited about playing games, then if you didn't perform you'd be flat and you'd wonder whether you were letting the senior players down, and what they were thinking. I reckon it took me two and a half years to start feeling comfortable.

''In the last couple of years I've remembered why I was drafted. The last time I got dropped I went back, played on instinct and it's worked out all right from there.''

The 22-year-old was the fourth best clearance player in the AFL and compiled the seventh most contested possessions in 2013. He’s feeling stronger and fitter than ever, but knows he’s not alone.

''Everyone feels like they're flying at this time of year, so that's the thing in the back of your head…You want the games to start coming around, so you really know how you're going.''

Cunnington was thrown an opportunity to show what he was made of last year when Jack Ziebell was out suspended and Andrew Swallow was injured. He says it gave him the chance to really step up in their absence.

''Ziebs is one of our best players and he's been a mentor for me. I'd definitely rather have him in the team, but him being out gave me more responsibility and made me take a bit more control,'' he recalled.

''That's just being loud with your voice, making sure all the structures are right, driving the stoppage, making sure we've got someone in the hit zone, things like that, rather than rocking up and having no idea. It keeps you on your toes and switched on about what's going on around you.

''I felt the year before I showed some good signs, but I had a goal to play with more consistency last year and I felt like that went well. Without dominating or anything like that, I suppose I just felt I had a good consistent year, not too many ups and downs. Hopefully this year I can take that up another notch.''

The veteran Harvey believes Cunnington and Atley already have.

''They've taken the next step. Their training has been absolutely elite,'' he said during the club's open training session.

''I think they're just starting to recognise now their position in the football club - not just a player trying to get a game every week.

''Their leadership has been taken to the next level and I think that's where we're going to get our improvement from, those type of guys.''

Cunnington is coming into his fifth season and told Quayle he plans to get more outside possessions, tidier outside possessions, more time in the forward line and more goals.