WHEN Hawthorn sent a team of kids to Perth for its lightning-round NAB Cup clash with Fremantle and the West Coast Eagles in February this year, few expected much good to come of it.

The Hawks' squad of inexperienced youngsters, with just a trio of established players (Cyril Rioli, Shaun Burgoyne and Brent Renouf) to help out, was expected to get a belting from near full-strength Eagles and Freo line-ups.

But with fresh faces such as Shane Savage, Jordan Lisle, Matt Suckling and Luke Breust showing signs of things to come, the underdogs lost only narrowly to the Eagles before shocking Fremantle with a comfortable win.

Savage, one of the stars of that afternoon, believes the road trip was a major factor in he and his young teammates gaining the confidence needed to play consistent AFL football.

"All the young boys got a really good experience out of that trip and gained a lot of confidence," Savage told hawthornfc.com.au.

"What the coaching staff did was very good for the young boys. It's definitely helped us through the season."

Savage has since cemented a place in the Hawks' senior side and been instrumental in helping the injury-ravaged club into a strong position to challenge come finals time.

The 20 year-old has appeared in 14 of the Hawks' 15 matches  - comfortably surpassing his goal of playing 10 senior games - and averaged over 18 possessions.

The sharpshooter has also booted 16 goals and only four behinds.

"After a disappointing year last year, it's given me a lot of confidence to be able to string a few games together," Savage said.

"A solid pre-season has helped me.

"I've improved my strength and my endurance, and I think that's helped me to play the way I have been on the field."

Drafted at 17 with Hawthorn's No.75 pick in the 2008 NAB AFL Draft, Savage was physically underdeveloped when he first arrived at Waverley.

But the former Dandenong Stingray said getting on an AFL list a year early - he would have been eligible to play another year in the TAC Cup under-18s competition - had helped his game.

"Being at Hawthorn for an extra year has definitely fast-tracked my development," Savage said.

"I guess I'm one year more advanced than the draft I should have been in, so to be drafted early was definitely a real bonus."

Hawks assistant coach Brendon Bolton, who landed the senior coaching role at Hawthorn's VFL affiliate Box Hill in the same year Savage arrived, said a solid grounding in the lower grade had helped the third year Hawk - and other emerging talent such as Breust, Suckling and Liam Shiels - make a smooth transition into the senior team.

"It's not really a surprise for me to see them doing well because they've done a good apprenticeship at VFL level," Bolton told hawthornfc.com.au.

"In that apprenticeship they get a really good understanding of our gameplan.

"We had a focus at Box Hill on getting the players to demonstrate their understanding of the game and getting them to problem solve and work through certain scenarios that happen in the game."

Bolton said Savage had also helped himself by training at a high level.

"One really good trait about 'Sav' is that he trains to execute all of his skills at speed and intensity," Bolton said.

"That's been a really good mark of the way he plays the game.

"He can kick long and short, lift or lower his eyes at speed, which is something he focuses on in his training."

With his main individual goal for the year now achieved, Savage's primary focus in the run-up to October will be helping the team as it continues its quest for a second premiership in four years.

But in his spare time, the New Zealand-born player (he moved to Australia at age two) might also have one eye on his homeland when the rugby world cup kicks off in September.

"I consider myself a proud New Zealander; I like to remember where I came from and I'm proud of it," Savage said.

"The All Blacks haven't gone too well in recent World Cups so hopefully they can get one on the board this year, especially since it's in New Zealand."

FACT FILE
Born: January 5, 1991
Recruited from: Noble Park/Dandenong U18
Debut: Round 20, 2009v Adelaide
Height: 185cm  Weight: 80kg
Games: 17  Goals: 16
Player honours: NAB AFL Rising Star nominee 2011

Grab a copy of this week's AFL Record to read a more in-depth profile on Shane Savage.

Mark Macgugan writes for hawthornfc.com.au and covers Hawks news for afl.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @mmacgugan.