IN HIS fourth year with Hawthorn, Garry Moss knows he still has to prove himself as an AFL player.

Drafted at the end of 2006, Moss played one senior game before being demoted to the rookie list at the start of 2009.

He bounced back well enough to play eight of the first nine games last year, including a four-goal performance in round five that earned him a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination.

But as was the case with many of his teammates, injury ruined Moss' season and he missed the next 10 matches with a knee problem.

He wasn't re-promoted to the senior list over summer, but was named Hawthorn's nominated rookie and was picked for last week's round-one clash with Melbourne.

One of the Hawks' better players in that game, the 21-year-old knows his poorly-timed injury set him back to square one but never let it sway his endeavour.

"I guess it was pretty frustrating. I started to string some games together and having a few players out of the side gave me a bit of confidence," Moss told hawthornfc.com.au.

"I got to play nine games in a row and to have an injury was a bit of a letdown. I managed to get back at the end of the year but hopefully this year I can play a bit more consistent footy and a bit more often."

Jarrod Kayler-Thomson and Carl Peterson were also lifted from the rookie list to the senior side to play the Demons, which Moss said was the Hawks' reward for hard work over reputation.

"Alastair Clarkson has always said since I first got here that the number you get called out on draft day is irrelevant as soon as you get to the footy club," Moss said.

"Everyone's equal and it comes down to how much you want to play and how hard you work once you get to the club. To get given an opportunity, I'm prepared to take it with both hands and see how my season goes."

But Moss is hardly getting ahead of himself, because he is more than aware of how many players on Hawthorn's list have similar abilities.

"We've got a pretty dangerous forward line [with] guys who work hard and put defensive pressure on," he said.

"It is pretty competitive, especially with Cyril (Rioli) to come back. It makes things pretty difficult but competition is good for the side."

Moss, who is the nephew of 1970 Brownlow medallist Peter Bedford, has been living with teammate Tom Murphy for the past few months in East Bentleigh which has had a positive effect on his football.

"It's helped me mature a bit and take a bit of responsibility within the team by having a better understanding of how things work," he said.

"Tom's in the leadership group and it has helped my development."