MANY people excel in their chosen field because they never allow themselves to become satisfied, and as a result they are always striving to improve. It's an attitude that could propel Western Bulldogs draftee Nathan Hrovat to a long and distinguished AFL career.

This season, Hrovat amassed more individual honours than perhaps any other player selected in this year's NAB AFL Draft. Among the gongs were All Australian selection, the MVP award for Vic Metro, third place in the TAC Cup's Morrish Medal (despite playing just eight games), the rover's spot in the TAC Cup Team of the Year, along with the Northern Knights' captaincy and best and fairest award.

Watch the media player above as BulldogsTV speaks exclusively with Nathan Hrovat following his arrival at the Kennel.

But the pint-sized (175cm/76kg) midfielder - who averaged 27disposals, eight clearances and five tackles in the TAC Cup, and 25 touches (10 contested) and 4 clearances in the NAB AFL Under 18 Championships - knows only too well that the hard work has only just begun.

The No. 21 pick in this year's draft (he was expected to be snared in the mid-teens) sees enormous scope for development in his game. In fact, he volunteers a long list of planned self-improvements. And he rattles it all off with the kind of speed and depth of thought he displays on the field.

"There are so many things I want to develop and get better at," Hrovat told westernbulldogs.com.au.

"I need to work on my spread away from contests, trying to get the overlap handball, breaking some lines with my running, helping out my teammates, putting on some blocks, getting to the fall of the ball, getting to the right spots, reading the game a bit better, kicking a few more goals ..."

It's true, Hrovat's poor conversion rate in the TAC Cup (2.15) was a rare blemish in a superb season.

But wait, there's more.

"I also want to put on a bit of bulk as well because I'm going to have to be pretty powerful to match it as a smaller type. I'll definitely spend a lot of time in the gym trying to get stronger.

"Basically, I just want to work as hard as I can to be the best player I can be for this club."

It's a refreshingly humble self-appraisal for a youngster who - at elite under-18 level at least - already appeared to be a well-rounded performer. Not that Hrovat would ever describe himself as such.

Much of his inner drive comes from being told he was too small to play in the AFL. Such dismissive remarks only steeled him more to prove he was good enough to match it with, and beat, the bigger boys.

Hrovat has been likened to Hawthorn champion Sam Mitchell for his determination. Like Hrovat, Mitchell was told he wouldn’t make it purely for physical reasons - he was too small and too slow, they said. 'They' had no appreciation for the obvious resolve and talents of either player.

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And Hrovat is undeniably talented. In his Northern Knights' No.3 guernsey, he also resembled Carlton star Marc Murphy a little in both appearance and style. He's compact, always busy, wins the hard ball, is a terrific crumber (fittingly, Hrovat is pronounced "rove-at"), boasts an impressive turn of speed and is a precise kick.

All of which also sounds a little like one of his mentors, North Melbourne champion Brent Harvey.

"Brent has been a massive influence on me," he said. "I contacted him at the end of 2011 because we're a similar height and we play similar positions. I just tried to suck as much knowledge from him as I could.

"We worked a bit on skill and that sort of stuff, but the big message has been on how to make a smooth transition to AFL. He gave me advice about recovery and little things that delay the wear and tear a little bit.

"He called me on draft night and congratulated me, saying he was stoked for me. He's been awesome in supporting me."

Another major influence on Hrovat has been his father Chris. Born in Croatia, Hrovat senior moved to Australia with his family at the age of seven. He became so adept at the oval-ball code that he had a stint with Carlton's under-19s, as a 180cm half-back flanker.

Hrovat might be feisty on the field, but he's friendly and engaging off it. Those who know him say he's always so upbeat that you wouldn’t know if he was having a bad day. The kind of personality that is highly valued in any team environment. But a week into his AFL journey, he just wants to fit in.

"I'm still sussing things out. You don't want to come into an environment and start trying to act like the alpha male," he said.

"I have the utmost respect for all of the boys and everything they do, so I definitely won’t be demanding anything any time soon. I just want to work hard, find my feet and earn their respect."