North Melbourne has locked away emerging star Taylor Garner with a contract extension until the end of the 2018 season.

The 22-year-old has played just 14 games since being drafted with pick 15 in 2012 with injuries hampering his availability.

“I was able to do a full pre-season for the first time since coming to North and it’s given me some real confidence,” Garner told NMFC.com.au.

“The club has really backed me in, not only through my injuries but now with this new deal which I’m really thankful for.”

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The highly talented medium-sized forward is renowned for his fierce tackling and relentless defensive pressure, but can also hurt the opposition on the scoreboard. Against the Crows in Round 1, Garner kicked two late goals to help drag North over the line.

“Track-watchers at North would have said that he was the one who was one of the really dominant players in pre-season,” Brad Scott said of Garner after the win over Adelaide.

“The defenders hate playing on him, no one likes being tackled by him, so he’s a player that we really rate but we’re cognisant of the fact that he hasn’t played much … we’re not asking him to come out and dominate but he’s a player we hold really high hopes for.”

Cementing a positon in the senior side is Garner's main focus for 2016 after playing 11 games last year, including North’s three finals.

“I need to play my role each week and that’s to chase, tackle and try and win the ball back from the opposition,” Garner said.

“The offensive side of the game will roll off the back of that.”

While Garner’s future looks bright, he feels the same way for the Kangaroos.

“We’ve got a really solid group of young players coming through and it’s going to be a good ride. I’m just happy to be a part of it and want to do my bit to make sure this club continues to be successful.”