In Brad Mangan's first year on North Melbourne's rookie list, he's still played all his footy with the Werribee Tigers in the VFL just as he did in 2011, however the 21-year old is a far different player nowadays.

Predominantly used as a defender, the man nicknamed 'Mango' was drafted for his flexibility so when Cameron Pedersen was ruled with injury, a chance to play forward arrived.

"It was a good experience for me to play up forward today. I played mostly as a forward in my days at the Murray Bushrangers in the under 18's but since then I've just been moved around as needed and this year I've been the one defending the forwards," Mangan told kangaroos.com.au following the Tigers' 82-point win over Collingwood on Saturday.

"I've been pestering Westy (coach Scott West) all year and he finally gave me a go up the ground and I really enjoyed it."

While he wasn't able to kick a goal, he had his chances with four shots registering only behinds.

Since his arrival at Aegis Park, Mangan has worked hard on all areas of his game but fitness was number one on his list of things to improve on. He's made massive in-roads and is starting to see some rewards.

"I was probably only playing 65 to 70 percent game time last year but this year I've been playing at least 90 percent which has been a big improvement for me. I'm a lot lighter than I was when I first got to the club but more importantly I'm a lot stronger.

"I'm really loving it at North Melbourne, it has been a lot of hard work but it's all worth it to hopefully get the opportunity to play AFL at some stage."

Mangan's constant improvement has been under the watchful eye of North Melbourne development coach John Lamont who has seen some good signs.

"He's been a little bit inconsistent over the season but he's certainly improved. Mango's much fitter and playing much higher game time this year and as he keeps working hard he'll see reward for his effort," Lamont said.

"With the hole in the forward line this week we moved Mango forward and he did a pretty good job. He worked in well with the other forwards and generated a few shots on goal, he contributed well in an important game for Werribee."

With Werribee looking ahead to a busy few week of finals football, Mangan says no matter where he plays on the field, he's happy to just enjoy his footy and make the most of every opportunity that comes his way.

"It doesn't matter to me which position I'm playing, it's been a great season so far and it's an exciting time heading into the finals with Werribee. I'm just loving my footy at the moment."