SHANE Savage is determined to cement his place on a wing for Hawthorn this season, but he knows there are plenty of others after the same spot.

The 20-year-old enjoyed a breakout year in 2011, playing 17 games and earning a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination for a standout performance against St Kilda in round eight.

His slick ball use, line-breaking run and keen sense around goal earned praise from teammates and made him a favourite among fans.

But come September, when the last cut for the Hawks' first final was made, Savage's name wasn't on the whiteboard.

It's an outcome the young midfielder wants to make sure doesn't happen again.

"I've come back into pre-season this year a lot stronger, and if it comes next year I'd be wanting [to make] that finals side," Savage said after Hawthorn training on Friday.

"I'm injury free and my body's feeling really good."

It would have been easy for the former Dandenong Stingray to blame the shoulder injury he suffered in round 18 on the disappointing end to an otherwise positive season.

It led to a fortnight on the sidelines and then a fortnight in the VFL before a recall to the senior side, leaving little time to impress for a September berth.

But Savage wasn't willing to give himself that easy excuse.

"I wouldn't say it [the shoulder injury] set me back too much," he said.

"It was a bit of a hiccup, but it was probably a bit down to form. I didn't pick it up when I came back into the side."
 
With Hawthorn now boasting one of the deepest lists in the AFL, competition for places in the club's best 22 this season is set to be fierce, and Savage has noticed a competitive edge to pre-season training.

"I'll be looking to play a similar sort of role on the wing, but we have a lot of good midfielders who'll be challenging for that spot as well," he said.

"A lot of the boys are training well.

"There's not many of them on the sidelines, which is good.

"The wing spot does have a lot of people coming through, so there is a competitive side to it."

One Hawk exciting fans with his training efforts is Jarryd Roughead.

The key forward continues to progress in his recovery from a ruptured achilles.

At Friday morning's session he joined in most drills - running, changing direction at pace and kicking.

"'Roughy' is going really well," Savage said.

"He's come back from injury and back into skills just a week ago, so he's going really well."

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

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs