Earn the playing group’s respect, put in the work and learn fast, that has been Dogs draftee Nathan Hrovat mission in his first month at the Kennel.
 
Selected with the Bulldogs third pick (pick 21) in November’s NAB AFL Draft, the ambitious teenager has been quick to make an impression around Whitten Oval as an outgoing and amicable character.
 
“It’s been pretty daunting coming in and being in this environment but the boys have been really welcoming and really supportive and it has been a really good experience so far,” Hrovat said.
 
“…At the moment I have been paired with Shaun Higgins… and that’s a bit humbling cos he is such a good player and such… a big senior player.
 
“It is good to be… paired with him and just learn and suck the knowledge out of him is really good.”
 
The biggest hurdle the midfielder has faced in his first four weeks was sticking to his restricted workload alongside his fellow draftees, as they are eased into training.
 
“I guess it was a bit frustrating at the start to sort of be hindered a bit to what we did,” he said.
 
“Now being able to have the luxury of doing a bit more and probably mingling with the boys a bit more and sort of earning the respect off them has been really good.
 
“[I’m] just looking forward to the next part of training.”
 
Utilising Kangaroos champion midfielder Brent Harvey as a mentor in the lead up to the AFL Draft, Hrovat was dedicated to getting the most out of himself to ensure his fate.
 
Now the Northern Knights recruit has landed on the Bulldogs list he is even more motivated to make the most of his opportunity – even forgoing a complete break over Christmas to make sure he returns in top form.
 
“I think there is a part where you have a bit of a rest but definitely working very hard [and] continuing with the program over the Christmas break,” he said.
 
“You want to come back in good shape and run some good times – so definitely the hard work keeps going.”