FOUR years into his career as an elite footballer and seven games into his AFL career, Hawthorn defender Taylor Duryea has matured both as a person and a player.

He admits there was the early frustration of plying his trade in the VFL, never really a chance to make a senior appearance when he first arrived at the Club as a skinny small forward.

Despite twice being listed as an emergency for the senior side, he was behind the likes of Cyril Rioli and at the time, Carl Peterson who seemed a player likely to forge a career at his new club in the pecking order.

Then there were the injuries, an ankle reconstruction in 2011 ruined his chance of making his debut in that year, after again twice being an emergency for the AFL team.

Now, at 22 years of age, Duryea believes his debut came at the perfect time for him both as a player and a person.

“Obviously at the time I would have loved to have been playing in my first three years, but looking back now I’ve come into the team in much better shape physically and in terms of experience amongst the group,” he said.

“When I came in, I felt like I’d earned my spot, which is a big thing for my confidence knowing that I’d actually worked so hard to get that gig.”

Duryea is forging a name for himself and, pushing it to the forefront of Coach, Alastair Clarkson’s mind at match committee.

He’s not just a negating defender, Duryea wins the ball in his own right and combined with his defensive teammates to prove drive off half back and help the team slingshot from defence.

When he arrived at the Club, his foot skills were likened to that of St Kilda’s Nick Dal Santo, and he’s shown now those comparisons were valid given his execution of spearing 50m left foot passes onto the chest of teammates.

In his debut against the Pies, Duryea gathered 15 disposals and backed that up with 17 the next week against Fremantle.

He gathered 14 against the Crows followed by three 17 disposal efforts in four weeks from rounds 7-10.

The youngster has been a solid contributor for Hawthorn in the first half of the season, but Duryea knows he has his work cut out for him to keep his place in a side that looks destined for September action.

What is on his side, however, is the fact Clarkson called upon his small defender immediately after he missed one game through injury in Round 5.

Duryea was absent against the Kangaroos, but recalled for the win over Adelaide in Round 6 when Max Bailey was a late withdrawal.
He hasn’t missed a game since.

He says getting the call up for the Adelaide game has served as a big confidence boost in his first year at senior level but still feels the pressure to perform given the depth of talent on the list.

“Whether I had one or two games out, it wouldn’t have fazed me too much because I’d earned my debut but to come in one game after injury, it did give me a lot of confidence,” he said.

“It helped me to integrate onto the group a bit more, to know that I’m a valued member.

“By no means am I set in the best 22 because we’ve got a number of guys coming back so with the depth of the list and players playing well at Box Hill, I can’t take my spot in the side for granted.”