EXCITING youngster Christian Salem has signed a new two-year deal, which will see him remain in the red and blue until at least the end of the 2017 season.

Salem, who was selected at No.9 in the 2013 NAB AFL Draft, said he had no hesitation in signing on.

“For me, I didn’t have to worry about it too much,” he said.

“I’m really excited and looking forward to the future. I love this club already and I’ve only been here for a year and a bit, so I’m looking forward to the season.

“I think [it was good] to get it out of the way just before the season starts so I don’t have to worry about it at all.

“It’s a good result and there were no long discussions that we had to have – it was pretty quick and pretty sharp. We just got it done.”

Salem, who played 12 matches in his debut season last year, has impressed considerably in the pre-season with his shift to half-back.

The 19-year-old said he was relishing his opportunity to play down back.

“I tried it at the start of last year and it didn’t work too well,” he said.

“I went down forward, but this year I really love it.

“The new role opened my game a bit and I’m find new positions and I’m trying to grasp as much as I can, but I love it so far.”

Salem said he was far and away ahead this pre-season, compared to his first one after he was drafted in 2013.

“The last couple of pre-seasons games have flown by and we’re only a couple of weeks away from round one, so hopefully we’ll knock off Essendon on Friday night and look forward to Gold Coast in round one,” he said.

“Last year, I was about seven kilos lighter with that [thyroid] illness and now that I’ve had that full pre-season behind me, I can really not worry about getting my fitness up.

 “I can really concentrate on trying to play some good footy.”