On pure numbers, Kayne Turner provides the the definition of a development prospect; weighing in at just 67 kilograms, his light frame simply couldn’t be cut out for senior football at this stage - or could it?

Brad Scott has seen plenty of the youngest player in the 2013 draft class and says Turner’s small stature won’t discourage him from taking the daunting step up.

PRESS PLAY above to watch the Brad Scott interview | YouTube

“The way he plays his footy and the type of attributes he’s (Turner) got as a genuine competitor… he’s very, very hard at the footy even though he’s slightly built,” he told NMFC.com.au.

“I would expect Kayne to come in and want to make an impression very early on.”

[RELATED: Turner's Roo inspiration]

Turner’s fearless approach and ability to impact the game in multiple positions had clubs circling late in the year. He was considered a good chance to be taken in the National Draft, but North was delighted to nab him with its final rookie selection.

Scott believes the club’s strong history of promoting rookies to its senior list will provide motivation for the former Murray Bushranger.  

“While he’s a rookie we’ve seen a lot of rookies play senior footy. He can look to Sam Gibson and others who have come on the rookie list and made a significant impact at AFL level in their first year.

“While a lot of people wouldn’t expect that of Kayne, I think he would expect that of himself.”

One player who arrives at the club with great expectations is Luke McDonald.

North’s father-son selection was more-or-less locked in earlier this year, but was only officially confirmed as a Kangaroo last week.

“I don’t think we should underestimate what a tough year it was for Luke. He was juggling playing for Werribee, his first year of university and playing and captaining Vic Metro at the same time,” Scott added.

“We had to juggle a lot of different coaches and a lot of different messages. I think at times that was really challenging for Luke, but he came through that really well.”

[RELATED: Luke McDonald amazing draft reaction]

McDonald’s experience at VFL level will hold him in good stead for an eventual AFL debut, but Scott says he won’t be rushed in to the side.

“Luke’s had a really good preparation. I was just rapt with his finals’ series for Werribee last year and he’s proven that at the state league level he’s a very good player.

“He’s shown during his junior career that he’s a big game player and when the pressure comes on he tends to produce his best. That’s a great attribute for any young man.

“He’s going to be pushing for senior selection very early on, but he’s got a lot of competition right at the moment.

McDonald has spent the last fortnight with his new team-mates in Utah for the club’s high altitude camp, with Scott impressed by the attitude of his players.

“The intensity’s gone to another level again. Part of that is because our group is a year older. We’ve retained most of our senior players and our younger guys are obviously a year older with another year of training under their belt.

“They are looking really good, but they looked really good last year as well so we’ve got to temper our excitement with how they are training by the fact that we are not playing genuine opposition yet.

“We’ll find out soon enough when we play Carlton in our first game, but I can’t fault their intensity so far.”