Brayden Norris' priority is to earn the respect of his senior teammates, who ensured that North Melbourne's eight recruits felt welcome upon their arrival late last year. "It's amazing. I love it. All the boys are really good. They've all made us fit in, which is helpful. They just treat you like you've been here for longer than five months."

Norris was selected with North's sixth and final selection (No.53 overall) in the 2009 NAB AFL Draft, though he had met with other clubs in the lead-up. "North seemed pretty confident, which I was happy with, and Bryce (talent ID manager Bryce Lewis) was really helpful. I spoke to him a few times. I was very happy when North picked me. I was at home on the couch with the family and a few friends around. I was pretty nervous. I shook for about an hour after."

Having played 13 games for TAC Cup club Murray Bushrangers, Norris knew he had strengthened his AFL prospects when equalling Swan Jarrad McVeigh's beep test record (15.6) at October's NAB AFL Draft Camp. "Obviously they look at you through the whole year but the beep test probably gave me that little boost. People could see I work pretty hard and push myself to those levels. My endurance is probably the strongest part of my game. All the fitness staff and coaches are helping me to put that into my game even better than what I am now."

Despite a broken thumb, Norris took giant strides in his development last year after just two games for the Bushrangers in 2008. "I worked pretty hard in the pre-season for Murray. I just did the program they set for me, came back, scored a pretty good beep test result, and thought, 'This could be something good here'. I just kept chipping away. I played every game I was eligible for."

The 18-year-old's running ability stems from his athletics and cross country experience as a youngster. "There was a kid who beat me nearly every time, but he went to nationals. I was a pretty good runner as a kid ... so it comes a little bit natural but I had to work pretty hard as well."

Norris, who weighed just 69kg when he was drafted, has the ongoing challenge of building his lean frame. Hearty catering from his Pascoe Vale host family has included steaks and spaghetti. "I have to eat five or six meals a day and have protein shakes. I've put on five kilos so far, but I obviously need a bit more size on me. I'm eating whatever they put in front of me."

His mother, father and two brothers live in the town of Alexandra, around two hours north-east of Melbourne. "They come up nearly every weekend and watch me play. I've got one younger brother, who's 15, and an older brother, who's just turned 20. My older brother's a carpenter and my younger one's pretty keen on his footy, so he's trying out for the under-15 national squad."

Aligned to VFL affiliate North Ballarat, Norris believes he has found his feet at the level after an admittedly slow start. Though hamstring soreness has grounded him temporarily, his efforts beforehand were a pleasant surprise. "The first game I wasn't really happy with, but the last game I played I had a couple of goals and about 21 touches. Hopefully there's even better footy to come. If I keep running and can burn off a couple of players, it will suit me. To have a couple of weeks on the sidelines is pretty annoying. I'm not very happy about that, but hopefully I'm back next weekend. "

Used in the midfield for a few quarters of North Ballarat's practice matches, Norris will line up at half-forward or on a wing while his body develops. "I'm hoping to play consistent VFL footy, get a few touches and hopefully get a couple of AFL games in the season somewhere. I'm looking forward to the year and how it unfolds."

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.