2023 was a year of mixed emotions for Melbourne’s Bailey Laurie.

The young Demon kicked off the season with a bang, playing his first AFL game during the club’s opening match at the MCG.

Throughout the year, he made his way back to the VFL and produced consistently dominant displays for the Casey Demons.  

He finished the season with five AFL matches under his belt including a finals appearance during September.

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The 21-year-old admitted that it was a tricky year to navigate, but was grateful for what he was able to take out of the various opportunities and challenges.

“My goal last season was to make my debut, and I was able to do that, which was good,” Laurie told Melbourne Media.

“Holistically, it was still a bit frustrating of a year, I started in Round 1 but then probably didn’t play that strongly and then went back to the VFL.

“I got back into the team late into the year, during finals and that was really cool to be a part of, I felt like my confidence grew from there.

“As a team, it was a bit disappointing in the finals period, we obviously believe in ourselves and feel like we’ve got it in us to win premierships, so overall, it was a disappointing finish to the year.

“Personally, I found that it was a great year of learning, and I took some big steps forward but there's still plenty of room to grow as well.”

Following this debut year, Laurie returned for his fourth pre-season at the beginning of December and came back in impeccable shape.

The hard-at-it midfielder quickly impressed on the training track both with his skills and fitness.

He finished third fastest in the club’s 2km time trial on the first day back at the club and has consistently pushed himself above his teammates in match-play, often praised by those around him for his hunger to improve.

“I’m feeling really good,” Laurie said.

“I feel like my first few weeks of training have been really strong.

“I ran well in the time trial, I felt like that was reward for effort and then that gives me confidence for when I’m out training, during the drills, knowing I have the capacity to work really hard and really push myself.”

This eagerness to be better was helped by a clear focus in Laurie’s off-season - mentally switching off, but remaining motivated for the upcoming year. 

This was powered by his goal to seal his selection in the AFL side, hoping to reach new heights and go above his five AFL games from 2023. 

“Each year that you stay in the system, you learn how to better train in the off-season and what works best for you,” Laurie said.

“I was lucky enough to go to Europe in the off-season, which I found very mentally refreshing, which has helped me physically attack training and be really hungry.

“I was still training hard over [in Europe] and then I came back and continued that and that’s helped me put the right foot forward at the start of this pre-season.

“I want to cement my spot in the team and then I can contribute really strongly.”

And for Laurie, the key aim heading into 2024 is as clear as ever, both on an individual and team level.

“The ultimate goal is to play every game and contribute by playing my role really strongly for the team, and to be a great teammate,” Laurie said.

“If I’m able to do that and if my teammates are able to do that, naturally, with the game plan and the talent we’ve got, and the connection between the group, the results will take care of themselves.

“And hopefully we’ll end up similar to where we were last year but finishing off those last games better.”