IF JACK Ziebell has his way, North Melbourne fans will see a lot more of him in 2012.

Despite his outstanding finish to 2011 and improved fitness, the 20-year-old midfielder's percentage of game time rarely exceeded the high 60s-low 70s last season - way behind the low-80s averaged by senior North midfielders Daniel Wells and Andrew Swallow.

Speaking with AFL.com.au from North's high-altitude training camp in Utah on Friday, Ziebell said spending less time on the interchange bench was one of his major goals for next season.

"If there's one particular area I'm targeting it's just getting my conditioning right and making sure that I can spend more time on the ground," he said.

It's a goal Ziebell is hell-bent on realising.

So much so that despite already facing three weeks of long hikes in freezing conditions, running time trials - some intermittently broken up by exercises such as sit-ups, push-ups, burpees and 'lat' dips - and hill sprints, Ziebell was one of six North players who chose to arrive in Utah a week early to maximise the benefits of training at high altitude.

Ziebell said he, Cruize Garlett, Robbie Tarrant, Lindsay Thomas and brothers Luke and Cameron Delaney had decided to extend their Utah stay after discussions with North coach Brad Scott and sports science and conditioning director Peter Mulkearns.

"We all just thought it was a good opportunity. You get more benefit at altitude over four weeks than you do over three," Ziebell said.

"For me, having lacked aerobic conditioning over the years, I just thought I've got to take every opportunity that I can to try and improve that."

Ziebell downplays the extra training North's 'advance party' put in: "We did a little bit of training that week but just mainly had a look around and enjoyed each other's company".

But senior assistant coach Darren Crocker says Ziebell's fitness has noticeably improved.

"[He] seems to have gone to another level again and he's someone that seems to thrive on this sort of stuff," Crocker told kangaroos.com.au on Friday.

Ziebell's Utah exertions mark the continuation of a concerted fitness campaign that was prompted by his poor start to 2011.

Having identified that his fitness had to improve - understandable given his first two seasons at North were ruined by broken legs - Scott and North's fitness staff designed a program that had Ziebell completing two or three extra cardio sessions a week, including extra running.

Ziebell soon reaped the benefits.

After averaging 13.1 disposals and 3.8 tackles in North's first eight games last season, he averaged 22.1 and 5.7 in his remaining 13 games (tallies that were dragged down by his zero-possession, one-tackle game against Fremantle in round 22, when he was taken from the ground early in the game after a heavy hit to the ribs). 

But the No. 9 pick in the 2008 NAB AFL Draft really underlined his potential when he racked up 41 possessions in a best-on-ground performance against the Western Bulldogs in round 17 - remarkably in only 69 per cent of game time.

Although his improved fitness played a large part in his form spike, Ziebell said the confidence Scott and his coaching team had shown in him and their move to play him in run-with roles midway through the year had also helped him turn his season around.

Despite the huge bounds Ziebell took in the second half of 2011, he is determined to improve not only his fitness, but also his ability to add more outside possessions to the ones he wins so naturally in congestion.

Ziebell's attitude reflects that of North Melbourne as a whole.

Despite having been pushed to their physical limits in nearly every training session since they arrived at the Montage Resort in Deer Valley (60km from Salt Lake City Airport) on October 25, Ziebell says every player has embraced the experience.

"Everyone knows we're doing it to get better as a team and everyone's enjoying the challenges that are being thrown at us," he says.

"We've only been here two weeks but I think the intensity of everything about the camp has gone to a new level on last year.

"It's been pretty solid but it's been pretty good. It's where we want to get to, it's what needed to happen and it's good to see the boys are responding and they're all pulling in the same direction to make things happen."

One of the things North is determined to improve next season is its ball use and Ziebell says the Kangaroos have already had some skills sessions in Utah and have about four more planned on the indoor NFL fields of nearby Brigham Young University (BYU).

Individually, Ziebell says Garlett has made the biggest fitness gains of any North player - "He's come back in ripping nick and is up there with the fittest blokes at the club at the minute" - while, after an injury-plagued 2011, Hamish McIntosh is as fit as Ziebell as seen him and determined to have a big 2012.

Ziebell also says Ayden Kennedy is steadily building fitness after last year's knee reconstruction, while Sam Wright, Lachie Hansen and Ben Speight, who all had post-season shoulder surgery, had all recovered, with Wright and Hansen 'dominating" the camp's running sessions.

Personally, Ziebell says his fitness is "a long way ahead" of where it's been in his previous three pre-seasons.

That's just reward for the hard work he put in last season and the dedication he showed not to waste the fruits of that work during his off-season break.

Provided he stays injury free, bet on Ziebell building on his strong finish to 2011 next year. Given his pedigree, it's a far better bet than most you might be tempted to make on Stakes Day.