North Melbourne youngster Kieran Harper is rapt to have signed a new contract which will keep him at Aegis Park until the end of 2015 but the 20-year old is aware he has a lot to work on in order to get back to the stand-out form he showed last year.

Harper was sent to Werribee after playing the first three AFL games.  He'd experienced a quiet start to 2013 but the number 23 is determined to improve and has latched on to Daniel Wells for help.

"The last few weeks where I've been in a bit of a form slump, I've been doing a lot of work with Daniel Wells to try improve on my form," Harper told NMFC.com.au.

"I sit down and go through his vision with him and he goes through my vision with me and he's giving me a lot of tips. It's been really helpful and Wellsy gives me little things to work on that I never would have even thought about."

Midfield coach Darren Crocker said the relationship between the two wasn't something that developed by accident, but was put in place to help Harper in his progression.

"Throughout the pre-season we were grooming Harps in a similar role that we see Wellsy playing," Crocker said.

"That guy who can come into the midfield, has real power, speed and agility, can pounce on the loose ball and make something out of nothing with stoppages and congestion. We really set it up so we were developing Kieran on the same lines as Wellsy.  Matching those guys up so he can learn from Daniel has been really good for him."

As a player who experienced his own challenges along the way, Wells encouraged Harper not to lose his confidence during this time in the VFL.

"He (Wells) said to me yesterday that your football career really flashes before your eyes and you need to enjoy your footy and not over-think it," Harper said.

"He's really helping me through this tough time with his advice and experience in the game so hopefully I can shrug it off and push forward. I just need to focus on the team, it's about playing my role and maintaining the work-rate to do that and get the confidence back to get my hands on the ball."

Crocker has no doubts Harper will make his way back into the senior side and couldn't speak highly enough about the young player's attitude and the way he goes about his football.

"What he was able to do in his first couple of years has been fantastic. He came along in leaps and bounds last season but like we know, it's a pretty tough caper and things aren't always going to go well for you all the time but it's how you come through these tough periods," Crocker added.

"Harps is a quality young guy with outstanding character who really wants to improve and get better and he's got tremendous drive to do that, anyone who has that drive you know they're going to work extremely hard to become the best they can be and we think his best will be very good for us."

Harper understands the competition for spots at Aegis Park is tougher than it's ever been but he's determined to put himself back in the mix and make sure he's prepared for when it's his time again.

"I know it's going to be really hard for me to get back into the team but if I just play my role I'll make sure I get that opportunity and when I do, I'll take it with both hands and not lose it again.

"Hopefully I can repay the faith that they've shown in me with this new contract and play some good football from now on and really develop over my next two years."