WEST Coast's pre-season standout Jai Culley is backing himself to break into the Eagles' midfield in round one after being thrown in the deep end as a mid-season draftee last year.  

Culley has been among the Eagles' best performers this summer after adding significant strength and power during an off-season period that included plenty of long stints in the club gym.

He started his first AFL pre-season with a new physique that has allowed him to hold his own in the contest with the club's senior midfielders, while also sticking with the club's best runners during time trials.

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It's an exciting mix that has the Eagles bullish about Culley's prospects in 2023, with the big-bodied youngster targeting a round one berth as an inside midfielder after getting a taste with four games last year.  

"I have a few goals I want to tick off, and to play round one is my aim right now. That's driving me, to start in there and hold my spot," Culley told AFL.com.au.  

"You have to have that belief and confidence in your ability to play and I think I'm ready, so hopefully I can take that spot.

"We've got a few new draftees and Jack Redden retired, so there is some space in there, but competitiveness in training is good and we're all fighting for those spots this year, especially in the midfield."

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While Culley was able to join the Eagles cheaply last year via the NAB AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft, he was considered a likely top-20 player if he had remained available for the AFL Draft. 

The powerful midfielder earned his opportunity after rapid improvement through the first half of 2022 and ended the year with four AFL games to his name, making his debut against Hawthorn at the MCG in round 18 and winning seven clearances.

Six months on and Culley has a different look about him, describing the pre-season as a period he relishes after learning the value of hard work as a junior footballer. 

"That's what I love. I love working hard and I love running with the best blokes. I try and train with them and run with them and push myself. I love it," he said.  

"Growing up back home I relied on my natural talent and fell away from the game early on, around 15-16, so I knew that hard work was the thing I needed to get back into it. 

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"I had the goal of trying to get drafted, and I knew hard work as the thing I needed to get there, so that's what I did and now that I'm here I'm just going to continue that." 

Culley, who balances his determination on the training track with a relaxed approach off it, learned plenty in his whirlwind introduction to the AFL last year. 

Being thrown straight into main training when he arrived at the club was the perfect introduction, the Dandenong Stingrays product said, while he quickly formed a strong bond with the club's other first-year players.   

There is one game that stands out, however, when he reflects on the moments that mattered in his development in 2022 – the club's 85-point loss to Geelong in round 23, which Culley said he had watched back several times. 

"Playing against (Patrick) Dangerfield and (Joel) Selwood, that was the biggest learning that I've had," he said.  

"We got pumped, but to play against those players that are the best in the League, you just learn so much and I'm really grateful for that opportunity. 

"Danger's explosiveness is up there with the best in the League, so to be something like that is something I'm striving for, and then Selwood was just so hard to tackle. 

"You watch it back and you can see the craft and the little things they do. That's what I try and implement in my game now."