Ziebell celebrated just his 20th birthday on Monday, but despite his tender years, he's a man with huge expectations cast over him.
"It's been a pretty slow start for me injury wise, but that's footy," Ziebell told the Radio Sport National team on Friday. "You can't really do much about it."
Such is the high regard he's held in at Arden Street, the former Murray Bushranger was adorned with Adam Simpson's number seven Guernsey after just 10 senior games.
Having suffered two broken legs in as many seasons, an injury-free Ziebell looks to be back to his best and has been in a rich vein of form during the Kangaroos' opening matches.
"I've had a full pre-season this year and haven't really missed much, so that's really helped me."
Aerobic capacity has been one of the few deficiencies in his game previously, but a rigorous summer regime has seen marked improvement already in Ziebell's ability to run out a game.
"I'm feeling the fittest I've felt so far, and been able to spend a bit more time on the ground in the pre-season, and hopefully that [helps] into the season."
Ever the team player, Ziebell's young years haven't stopped him from showing his leadership qualities on and off the field. While others his age might be ruthless in the battle for spots, he's keen to have an influence on his younger teammates.
"A couple of young players, Shaun Atley and Kieran Harper, have played pretty well and also Majak Daw. They've been given an opportunity and shown they can play at the level. Hopefully we can support those young players and get them through and hope they can play a little bit of senior footy this year."
And while promoting its developing youth is sure to be paramount at North in 2011, finding the right mix to beat the league's powerhouses could prove the biggest challenge.
"We've just got to close the gap between our best and our worst games. Last year we played against the top four sides and we were beaten pretty comprehensively.
"The boys have trained pretty well over the pre-season. It's been a pretty long hit-out, but we've gone to Utah and I think that's put us in good stead for the season to come."
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