IN THE summer of 2009, Ryan Griffen's name was frequently bandied about as a predicted big mover of the upcoming season.

He was floated as a Brownlow Medal favourite, tipped to take out his club's best and fairest, and touted as the player most likely to cross into "elite" status territory before the end of the year.

It didn't matter that he hadn't played a game yet. His high draft selection of No.3 overall in 2004, combined with a package of explosive performances in 2008, meant the football world simply expected Griffen to have the breakout season Adam Cooney did last year.

After an electric start, the 22-year-old South Australian's year has ebbed and flowed. He assesses it himself as "a little bit up and down".

However, he doesn't blame the pre-season expectations for why he hasn't made such a startling impact on the Dogs' year.

"[Those expectations] play on your mind a little bit, but what's important to me is what my team expects of me," Griffen told westernbulldogs.com.au, ahead of the round 16 clash with Essendon.

"When I go out and play, I just hope they approve of what I'm doing. After the game, if they're happy with what I've done, that's what matters to me.

"I think I started off okay and then I dropped away a bit. Now I'm working pretty hard on keeping that consistency going."

Griffen believes the battle with his form is taking place entirely above his shoulders; that it isn't something he can physically tackle in the weights room or on the track.

"I'm trying to fix some things, like my concentration and fading in and out of games and within quarters," he said.

"I'll have a good stint for awhile and then I'll go missing for a large part of the quarter.

"I've got to learn how to stay in the game and stay focussed."

He denied he had lost the passion for the game, and said it still meant as much to him as it did when he was striving for a position at an AFL club five years ago.

"Football is very important to me. It's my life," he said.

"It's my job and I love doing it. It means a lot to me, which is why I work so hard at it."

He said motivation wasn't an issue, nor was it difficult to define. All he wants to do is win for the team and see the club do well.

"My motivation is team success, just wanting to play in a grand final," he said.

"It's what we all want to do. That motivates me, to work as hard as possible and hopefully be able to get there in the end."

Griffen still has individual goals and reasons to improve himself as a player.

He also believes he's got the time to develop into that player the footballing industry expected him to become this year.

"I just want to be consistent, and to be known as a consistent and good footballer," he said.

"I've just got to work really hard on what I'm not so good at and hopefully it improves my game.

"I'm still pretty young. I'm only 22 so I'm still learning."