North midfielder Jack Ziebell says he will take club great Glenn Archer’s injury prevention advice on board in a bid to prolong his AFL career.



RELATED: Ziebell player profile



It follows comments made my Archer that the on-baller would have to change the way he attacks the ball or run the risk of suffering further injuries.



"I think it’s just simply doing a bit of work on the track to be able to change your technique to actually turn yourself a little bit and use your shoulder," Archer told Fox Sports last week.



"Your shoulder is a lot more powerful and it’s going to protect you.



"It’s something that you can work on … so when you actually do hit the contest, you’re going to turn and use your shoulder instead of your chest."



Ziebell told NMFC.com.au the dual premiership player’s thoughts carry some weight.



"They’re very valid comments and he’s been there, he’s put himself in these situations hundreds of times and played over 300 games," Ziebell said.



"He played the way that I’d love to be able to play to the nth degree and making sure that you’re always being so desperate and trying to attack every contest like it’s your last.



"He was so durable over a long period of time – it’s something that I aspire to be."



Ziebell said he was always confident he would take the field against Geelong last Sunday, just eight days after suffering a bruised lung.



The 24-year-old vice-captain spent two nights in hospital after sustaining the injury in a first-quarter collision with Port Adelaide’s Ollie Wines in round three.



Ziebell’s latest injury came just a month after he was taken off the ground on a stretcher after being concussed in a collision with Richmond’s Alex Rance in the NAB Challenge.



"At the moment, the last two times I’ve been injured I’ve left myself open a little bit, but it’s interesting because I’ve been working on changing my technique," Ziebell said.



"I’ve just got to strike the balance between what I’ve been doing before and what I’m doing now, to somewhere in between there.



"What I’m doing now is not working and I’ll really need to spend more time on the ground and not be injured, which I’m really confident in doing."



As part of his last-ditch effort to be fully fit to face the Cats, Ziebell said he completed a fitness test on Friday morning to make sure his breathing wouldn’t be affected come game day.



"I did some running tests, some fitness tests and some repeat effort stuff that simulates match intensity to make sure that when I was fatiguing a lot, I was able to recover quickly and make sure that I had no hindrance with my lung function," he said.



Despite his less than ideal preparation, Ziebell said the club’s 16-point victory over Geelong was a pleasing result from a personal and team perspective.



"It was nice to be out there playing again after missing the majority of the week before," he said.



"We did well, especially in the midfield, we all played our role and we got the job done in our contested possessions and clearances."