FOR Jacob van Rooyen, the upcoming AFL season is a chance for the Demon to implement all that he learned in 2023, which was a lot, according to the talented forward.

Last year, the 20-year-old’s meteoric rise was a sight to behold, becoming a household name among the Demon faithful.

The young gun played his first AFL game during Round 3 with a powerful opening display, kicking three goals on debut and inspiring an iconic ‘Roo’ chant among the fan base.

He went on to play a further 19 games throughout the season, kicking 28 goals and emerging as one of Melbourne’s consistent performers, despite it being his first year of top-level AFL.

Now, in his third pre-season at the Dees, van Rooyen is zoning in on his strengths, ready to take his development to a new level.

“This year is more about taking what I learned last year and bringing it into 2024,” van Rooyen said.

“Helping myself grow from that [learning], physically, from a game style point of view and the confidence in my game.

I’ve had that year of experience now, I know the pace and the physicality of AFL level, so it’s more working on that and being able to bring that into this season."

While it's his forward craft that has impressed most, clunking marks and executing in front of goals, it's his skills as a ruck that have been an exciting area of focus ahead of 2024.

Learning the ropes off skipper Max Gawn and ruck coach Greg Stafford, van Rooyen is inspired by the opportunity to spend more time around the contest.

“I enjoy going into the ruck,” van Rooyen said.

“I get to play around the ball a bit and use my athleticism.

“If I can help out Max and give him a little chop out here and there, I will.

“And working with them has been really good, Greg’s a very experienced coach and Max is obviously one of the best ruckmen going round for the past ten years, so he’s a great person to learn off.”

In just 51 days, Melbourne will kick off its 2024 campaign against Sydney, with the final stretch of training set to prepare the team for the year to come.

With almost two months of pre-season now under their belts, van Rooyen expressed his faith in the group’s strength building up to the Opening Round.

“We’ve come out really strong,” van Rooyen said.

It’s evident from the 2km time trial that everyone’s put the work in over the Christmas break.

“[We’ve got] a pretty solid training block, the next month will consist of three big main sessions a week and then a few smaller gym or running sessions.

“[We’re focusing on] team cohesion and working together. We’ll have a strong focus on defence, which we always have.

“It's been a super exciting [pre-season].”

02:06

Back on the track with Jacob van Rooyen

Jacob van Rooyen talks through the pre-season schedule and his ambitions for 2024.