He’s one of North’s toughest in-and-under players, so it says a lot for Jack Ziebell to highlight the competitive nature of one of his teammates.

That recommendation holds even more weight when you consider he’s talking about Kayne Turner, a 19-year-old with just six games under his belt.

“When you look at Kayne when he first came to the footy club as a 17-year old kid, I think he weighed in the vicinity of 64 or 65 kilos,” Ziebell said on SEN.

“You think about a guy like Luke Hodge running at a guy who weighs 65 kilos and you’d probably be a little bit scared for the lighter guy’s safety… but when I think of Kayne Turner I’m not scared for him.”

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Turner had the football world talking during the club’s finals campaign last year - his small frame and inexperience couldn’t stop him having an impact in victories over Essendon and Geelong.

“He’s probably put four or five kilos on since he’s been at the club and he’s a lot more solid, but last year in his five or six games he played and a couple of finals, he definitely showed what he’s capable of,” Ziebell said.

Turner’s good form continued into North’s NAB Challenge win over Hawthorn in Shepparton, his tackling and fearless approach on show once again.

“He doesn’t take a backward step which is fantastic for a young guy. He does absolutely everything that’s asked of him onfield and at training, which is all you can ask," Ziebell added.

“I’m very excited for Kayne this year. Hopefully he can cement his spot in the side and really work hard and become a vital part of our team.”

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