THERE'S not much of him, but for North Adelaide's 178cm left-footer Nick Amato, it's not the size of the Rooster in the fight, but the size of the fight in the Rooster.

The tough, inside midfielder has already been met with several challenges in his brief career, but has come away from each with a resolve that continues to make him stronger.

A talented junior who made his league debut for the Roosters at just 16-years-old, Amato admitted he may have got ahead of himself at last year's NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, after featuring as an underage player in 2011.

Instead of focusing on playing football, the South Australian began looking into the stands before games to see how many club scouts were watching on.

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His football paid the price and he was ultimately dropped for the final two matches of the 2012 championships.

Amato "didn't have the runs on the board" to get drafted last year and while he remained hopeful, deep down he thought he'd blown his chance.

But the kid's a fighter.

Amato's post-championships goal was to cement his position in the Roosters' league side and with the backing and support of coach Josh Francou, he established himself as an important cog in their surge to a preliminary final.

This year, the 18-year-old put on 4kg to weigh in at 77kg and has emerged as one of his side's most important midfielders, playing every game and excelling under Francou's emphasis on defensive football.

Amato was quick to heap praise on the former Port Adelaide champion, saying he had used Francou's extensive knowledge of the game to take his own to a new level.

The statistics back this up; Amato has averaged 26 possessions and five clearances a game this year, including a wonderful display against Sturt when he amassed 35 disposals, six tackles, seven clearances and a goal.

His personal training background has helped him become a fearsome tackler too, averaging five tackles a game this season.

He's got the best power-to-weight ratio at the second-placed SANFL club, bench pressing 115kg and dead lifting 150kg.

"It's a really important part of my game, especially with Josh being hot on tackling pressure, he wants competitors and I believe I'm a competitor," Amato told AFL.com.au.

"For me to be a competitor and to play that sort of game I need to be strong enough to hold my own against really mature bodies.

"If you're not strong they can just push you aside."

Amato is blessed with quick hands and appears as comfortable on the outside as he does at the bottom of the pack.

His two-way running is incredibly developed for a young player and while he works hard in defence, he's drifted forward on numerous occasions this season to boot 12 goals.

His fine season with the Roosters has attracted AFL attention too – he's spoken to two interstate clubs already.

One club recruiter admitted Amato's sparkling SANFL form in a winning side meant AFL teams had no option but to seriously consider him.

"He's a credit to himself in how hard he's worked, how competitive he is and how he's come back from his disappointment," he said.

"He's playing really well and there's not much more he can do – he's trying his bum off.

"You've got to look at him because he's playing well, for an 18-year-old to be performing the way he is in senior SANFL footy is a really good effort."

The Roosters loom as the main threat to Norwood's premiership defence this season and the recruiter confirmed that impressive displays on the SANFL's biggest stage would only enhance Amato's draft chances at the end of the year.

Amato himself no longer worries who's watching from the stands, and conversely it’s a philosophy that's drawing more interest to him than ever.