Travis Colyer's aims for 2012 extend well beyond Essendon's round one encounter with North Melbourne. But that is where his focus currently rests.

Colyer, 20, enters his third AFL season with a clear idea of what he wants to get out of the year. The first step is to be picked in round one against the Kangaroos.

""I haven't done that in my first two years,"" Colyer said.

""At the end of the season you'd probably think 'What was the round one team?' and nobody will care to look at it.

""But it's a small goal and one you can take great confidence from if you've got the majority of your list fit and you're selected as one of the best 22 to start the year.""

It would also be great reward. Colyer has had an excellent pre-season, participating in every session and every drill from its October commencement.

At the start of summer, after playing 10 games in 2011 for a career tally of 21, Colyer realised he needed to add weight and strength to his game before becoming a consistent member of the team. He's put on five kilograms and has already felt the difference. At training he doesn't get pushed off the ball as easily and in contested drills he holds his own much more.

""It has been beneficial for me because it was probably the weakest part of my game,"" he says.

Colyer's impact last year was mainly as a substitute player, ripping off his green vest late in games and using his pace and tenacity to make an impact. But this season he wants to be more than that. He wants to take ownership of his career.

""You don't want to be the sub,"" he says.

""That's not what you train for, to play for 15 minutes and then do extra training at the end to keep up your conditioning.

""If the opportunity came through and the coaches said 'OK, we want you to play as a sub tonight', then I'm happy to do that.

""But the aim for me is to make a spot my own. I'm going into the year thinking I'll leave that green vest on the bench and hopefully won't have to wear it.""

If he can capture that spot Colyer offers the Bombers something different. He plays in a fast and frenetic fashion, an approach that mirrors Essendon's newest training method: go hard and then go home.

""The big change in training has probably been the intensity: when you're going, you're going hard,"" he says.

""In saying that when you're not at the club, they really want you to rest, relax and recover so the time when you're at the club you're really there 100% and going a million miles an hour.""

But Colyer does find time to stop and think. He looks at what teammate David Zaharakis did last year in his third season (winning the best and fairest) and takes comfort from how quickly things can happen. He watches teammates who spend time on the little areas of their game and finds no coincidence that they are the players who get a game most weeks.

As well as working with Simon Goodwin (midfield coach) and Matthew Egan (forwards), occasionally Colyer speaks with Sean Wellman (backline) about how to approach defensive situations if he finds himself caught out. It's about being ready for any situation and becoming a more rounded player.

""It's just little bits and pieces but there is a big overarching theme in the club to know every role in the team, every position and everywhere you need to be,"" he says. ""That's what I'm trying to do.""