HIS SHOCK of blonde hair sets him apart, but now North Melbourne youngster Matt Riggio is starting to stand out for his performances.

The 20-year-old has played a solid role in the club's last two matches – thrilling victories over the West Coast Eagles and Western Bulldogs – after starting the year with Werribee.

Three weeks ago, North Melbourne chief of football Donald McDonald suggested that the bye for the Hall of Fame Tribute Match was an opportunity for VFL players to press for selection, and Riggio responded accordingly.

He was picked for the clash with the Eagles on the Gold Coast, his first senior match since round two, 2007, and held his place in the side for the match against the Bulldogs – teammate Brent Harvey's 250th game.

"It's good to have a few close wins, a few nail-biters so I feel good," he said. "It was a bit of an honour to play in that game with [Harvey]. Obviously he's been a great player over the years so it was real good to get the win for him."

Riggio was used in a negating role on Sunday, with the task of minimising the influence of tireless playmakers Daniel Cross and Farren Ray, among others.

"They were a forward running team," he noted of the Bulldogs' style. "I had a bit more of a defensive mindset on the weekend because they run forward so much. But I sort of rotated on a few blokes."

The West Australian won 10 possessions of his own, but it was the small things in contests around the ground which confirmed Riggio's commitment to make 2008 his defining year.

Acquired by the Kangaroos at No. 28 in the 2005 National Draft, a product of the trade that sent Daniel Motlop to Port Adelaide, Riggio had only played one senior game with WAFL club Peel Thunder but was rated as a medium-sized defender through his AIS scholarship.

After a year at the club, his debut came against Collingwood in round one, 2007 and he retained his spot to play the Power. Disappointingly, a return to the VFL followed but it was an action that benefited his development.

"I had a pretty good pre-season last year so I was a bit surprised to get a gig but I knew that I had done the hard work and it paid off," he recalled. "My couple of games up there were pretty good, a good experience.

"When I first went down there [to Werribee] it was a bit daunting but ... you've got seven or eight other guys that you train with every week. They welcome us in and they're all pretty good down there.

"[I'm] starting to play good footy through the VFL [which] has sort of helped me a bit. I struggled a bit last year to play, I got dropped to the twos nearly and had a bit of a form slump but this year it's been good. I'm just starting to feel comfortable at AFL level now."

During an encouraging summer, Riggio's running ability fast-tracked a transition from defender to midfielder and a training group switch from Darren Crocker to Darren Bewick.

"He's been really good," Riggio said of Bewick. "He obviously had a long, highlighted career and has extended his knowledge down to us.

"I'd like to be a running midfielder and winger, link up from half-back and provide a bit of run and impact the game and get it inside 50 when we need it."

Aiming to play 10 matches this season or "enough games to stay on the list", Riggio's obvious priority is to keep his place in the 22 – and that continues this week against Brisbane.

"They're going to be a tough side to beat," he said. "They're the number one tackling side at the moment, and that's what we pride ourselves on so we'll see how we go head-to-head with that.