His statistics are remarkably similar to last year and his leadership has been first class, now Andrew Swallow is set to be rewarded with a contract extension until the end of 2015.

The North captain spoke to kangaroos.com.au about his additional two-year deal and said he was a little surprised when his manager phoned him with the news.

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“He rang to tell me the club had contacted him about signing me through until 2015 and I was a bit shocked,” Swallow said.

Still under contract for next year, the West Australian was quick with his response.

“It wasn’t something I had to think about to be honest, I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else and told him to get it done for sure.”

In his first year as captain, the 25-year old has had a season with the lot including remarkable wins, devastating losses and thrilling finishes.

“I knew what to expect in a lot of ways after speaking with Boomer (Brent Harvey) about the captaincy, but the biggest impact has been on the amount of time I spend doing this associated with the role.”

A young, enthusiastic list was just one of the reasons Swallow was so keen to put pen to paper on a new offer.

“You can see what we’re trying to build and where the club is headed under the coaching of Brad Scott. New facilities mean we can now match it, if not offer more to any player going around.

“Our medical department, strength and conditioning and development areas are top class and the club gives its players every opportunity to succeed.”

It was recently revealed the club showed interest in Port’s Travis Boak, something Swallow believes wouldn’t have occurred a few years back.

“It shows just how far we’ve come, how strong our brand is now and what the future holds that players would look at North as one of the places to be in order to achieve and have some real on-field success.

“We’ve also retained our guys like Ryan Bastinac, Todd Goldstein and Daniel Wells which says a lot.”

North Melbourne chief of football Donald McDonald says Swallow’s form, leadership and character are all factors which led to his extension.

“From a club point of view Andrew has provided terrific stability in the good and bad times which is crucial,” McDonald explained.

“He has set the right example on and off the field. He has integrated and involved himself with our more experienced players in Brent Harvey and Drew Petrie, but also our younger group including Shaun Atley, Kieran Harper and those types.

“We couldn’t be happier with the way he’s handled himself as the captain and believe he will be a long term skipper for the club.”

McDonald says the signs are all pointing to a bright future.

"The AFL competition has never been tighter and we look forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. List retention is a key ingredient to any future success and the recent positive development of our group suggests we are on the right track."

Swallow says while they’re firing on the field, off-field the synergy between the players is also at an all-time high.

“We are all great mates and really enjoy each other’s company. You can see it in the way we’re playing…we look after each other, play for one another and have a real desire to improve not only as individuals, but also as a group.”

But it’s not all serious, with serial pests and pranksters lightening the mood at Aegis Park.

“There are the usual suspects in Leigh Adams, Levi Greenwood but I have to be careful with what I say because I have my fingers in a lot of pies,” he joked.

“There are the Pirates who have a new blog ‘Buried Treasure’ and ‘Boomer’s Banter’ so there are a few odd photos and stitch-ups happening. You’ve got to be really careful with what you do these days and who you talk to. It’s a case of not knowing who you can trust.

“Your locker can be trashed like Boomer’s was this week, they might move your car if you leave your keys lying around or maybe some of your belongings will be sold online without your knowledge.

“I like the way the so called ‘Pirates’ go about it though, they’re anonymous and like silent assassins I suppose.”

Swallow acknowledges he too has played a part with his own blog ‘Follow Swallow’.

“Yeah we started that a few years back and I like to pull no punches. If you stuff up, I’ll call you out and make sure you take responsibility for your actions.

“It’s all in good fun and even the club staff get involved, so it’s great for the club all done in jest.”