Implementing to a stricter routine and adding extras at training have led to Tom Young’s improvement this season, with his hard work translating into a consistent patch of form in the VFL.

“I got a bit of a wake-up call a month ago and started to work a bit harder, I have been putting in the hours and really starting to notice a difference and it is coming out in games,” Young said.

“I’ve got a better routine in the morning, come in and do pilates and have a stretch.

“Then I grab [Rohan] Smithy to do some touch in the morning to wake me up before training and then I do extra pilates outside of the Club as well - the work you put in off the track comes out on the weekend.

“[I’m finding I have] more strength, just not being pushed off the ball as easy and being in the contest a lot stronger.”

While the 22-year-old’s statistical output is down year on year, his efforts off the ball have improved markedly as he moulds his game to suit the Bulldogs style of play. 

Being a dependable backman is at the front of Young’s mind in recent months, drawing on his coaches’ experience to beat his opponent.

“We do a lot of craft on our defensive one-on-ones, the coaches are really big on me defending first because I can sometimes get a bit ahead of the ball and hunt the ball,” he said.

“I had to go back to the VFL and knock my man over, I can always find the ball but just the consistency in beating my man is the main thing at the moment.”

Now that he has found some consistency in a solid block of games in the VFL, including a best on ground performance against Bendigo on Sunday, the 22-year-old is again eyeing a senior berth.

But with a more settled defensive lineup in the seniors and no shortage of competition, Young knows it will take more than a few solid games to break into the AFL team.

“You don’t get given games, it’s definitely a positive at the minute that the back six is pretty settled and it is pretty hard to get a game - but that’s why we play professional sport,” he said.

“You want to work hard and you want to earn your spot… [I need to] be consistently good at defending and all the little things and not having any lapses in my game.”