HAWTHORN livewire Bradley Hill admits a glowing appraisal from his coach on his improved kicking has been a result of extra targeted skills sessions.

Hill, 20, has received competition-wide praise for his to start the season, taking his game from a role player to a crucial member of the Hawks’ midfield.

After Alastair Clarkson identified Hill’s kicking had developed “enormously” in the past two years, the speedster said he was starting to feel more confident at the Hawks.

“Last year was my first full season and I was just playing my role, now this year I’m feeling a lot more confident and backing myself a bit more,” Hill told Sportsday radio.

“It’s definitely good hearing that from the coach and those things I have been working on over the last couple of years have been paying off.”

A star athlete as a junior, Hill recorded a then record 16.1 beep test at the 2011 Draft Combine, only to be succeeded by Hawks rookie Billy Hartung (16.6) last year.

Recognising his education of the game needed speeding up, Clarkson ordered extra sessions to put Hill in pressured and game-like environments.

It has seen Hill move further up the ground into roles vacated by Shane Savage, Clinton Young and Xavier Ellis in recent seasons. He has taken his disposals per game from 16 in 2013 to 25 from seven games this year.

“When I first got to the club, I didn’t expect to play until my third year. I was a little bit behind and I guess it (skills) just came out of nowhere,” he said.

“I’ve worked on my skills a lot and had to get a bit stronger in the contest.

“I like to watch the video but then doing it (kicking) helps me a lot more I think.

“It was probably (about) getting all my skills right first and even now I’m still working on my contested side of the game.”

With just 36 games in his career to date, Hill’s midfield rotations are set to increase with veteran Sam Mitchell to spend the next two months on the sidelines with a hamstring injury.