GEELONG young gun Nakia Cockatoo has returned to training in top condition as the Cats groom him for a step up into the midfield next year.

The 19-year-old, who played 11 AFL matches in his debut season, has clocked personal best running times after spending the first month of pre-season in the midfield group.

In an exclusive feature in the Weekend Geelong Advertiser, Cockatoo reveals he has also beefed up his upper body power and tapped into Paddy Dangerfield’s knowledge, having not missed one session since rejoining his teammates last month.

“I’ve bulked up a little bit, put a bit more muscle on, which is good for me,” he said.

“I’m starting to get really good muscle mass through my upper body and legs, which is helping me drive through tackles.”

It’s the type of continuity Cockatoo didn’t have last year after the Cats cautiously nursed him through a series of niggles that followed almost a year out of the game with a nasty foot fracture.

Early indications suggest Cockatoo will switch between the midfield and forward line next year.

Geelong captain Joel Selwood has noticed Cockatoo’s determination to improve.

“He’s going well — impressive that he’s come back off the back of his first pre-season and come back in really good nick,” Selwood said.

“I’m really proud. You can make that mistake first time out to not do enough work, but he’s come back really well — the things you want to see in pre-season.

“He’s obviously got a lot of education to go in his football. He didn’t play that much — that’s what we forget — he didn’t play much in an 18 to 24-month period (because of the foot injury), so we’ve just got to get as much footy into him as we can.”