While most players are looking for a break and some time to recuperate after a long season, Sam Durdin is already itching to play again.

“Now that I’ve had a taste for AFL footy I’m pretty hungry to get back out there,” Durdin told NMFC.com.au.

“I would love to have another week to show some consistency, but I’m just happy to get a few games in and impact on a couple.”

Making his debut in Round 3 as Shinboner 1,000, the key-defender managed eight games with his best performance coming in North’s final game against the Lions.

His toughest outing however was against Sydney.

“It was my second game and I was playing on Sam Reid,” Durdin recalled.

“He’s got good agility and moves really well – I found it really tough playing on him.”

A mid-season stint in the VFL, which included a week off due to concussion, proved invaluable to the 198cm swingman and he eventually earned a recall in Round 18 which kicked off a run of six games to finish off 2018.

“AFL takes a bit of getting used to,” Durdin explained.

“But once you string together a few games you start to get more comfortable and feel more involved in the game.”

The 21-year-old has a contract with the club until 2019 but it’s not something he is taking for granted - pledging to repay the Roos’ faith with a big pre-season.

“The off-season and pre-season are going to be very important for me in making sure I get everything done, ready to hit it at 100 miles an hour,” Durdin stated.

“Something I’ll be focusing on over the pre-season is my urgency and intensity, making sure that I’m attacking every contest and doing my bit for the team.”

Now entering his fourth year, Durdin is keen to improve by taking advice from more experienced teammates.

“We’ve got plenty of leaders at the club, like Robbie Tarrant, and up forward Ben Brown – they helped me out a fair bit.

“Robbie Tarrant, Lachie Hansen, Scott Thompson and Jamie Macmillan have been super with helping us – because we’ve had quite a few guys roll through the backline this year.”

Although buoyed by some consistency in his last few games including a game-high 8 one-percenters against Hawthorn in Round 21, and 17 disposals and his first career AFL goal against Brisbane in Round 23, Durdin knows there is still much more work to do.

“The next step is building up my fitness base and make sure I play good, consistent footy at the top level.”