EXCITING youngster Robbie Gray has played just 13 AFL games, but already he’s eyeing off a place in the Port Adelaide midfield.

The classy small forward, who didn’t expect to play AFL in his first season, burst on to the scene in round 10 last year. Two weeks later, became the first of three Power players to earn a NAB Rising Star nomination in 2007.

But Gray’s debut season came to a premature end after just five games when he suffered a series of soft-tissue injuries. So he has set his sights on becoming much fitter and stronger.

“The first pre-season was obviously a big eye opener in just how fit you need to be. This year, I knew what to expect a bit more, so I worked really hard on my running during the break,” Gray said.

“When I came back I was in pretty good nick. I’ve still got a long way to go with my fitness, especially if I want to play more in the midfield, but we’ll have a long pre-season this year, so hopefully by the start of next season I’ll be ready to play more up the ground.”

The 20-year-old’s hard work paid off in round seven when he forced his way back into the Power line up and was also given greater opportunities to play on the ball.

Then in round eight, the former meat packer notched up 20 possessions, 12 marks and 2.2 in a dominant display against Hawthorn. Gray also picked up 16 possessions against Geelong in round 12.

“I got an opportunity to play in the side a bit earlier this season than I did last year and managed to string together a few games in a row,” Gray said.

“Obviously, the side wasn’t going well, so that was disappointing, but I was going okay personally until I hurt my ankle in a freak accident at training one day.

“I missed a month or so with that, so now I just want to get back in there and have another taste of it before the end of the year.”

The quietly-spoken Victorian, who was pick 55 in the 2006 NAB AFL Draft, is confident both he and the Power squad will be better for the upcoming long pre-season.

“I think it showed in my first pre-season here, we had a long one and then look at how we went last year,” Gray said.

“The pre-season just gone was a lot shorter. Last year, we showed we could be up there so everyone will be a year older, the younger guys will have more experience, so I think next year, hopefully, we’ll be back up there and playing finals.”