EMERGING star Jackson Thurlow has expressed his delight at signing a new three-year contract that ties him to the Cats until the end of the 2018 season.

"It's really exciting," the 21-year-old Tasmanian, who was Geelong's first pick in the 2012 national draft, told CatsTV on Tuesday.

"It was a pretty short process, the way my manager and the club worked things out, and I'm really happy to be at the club for another three years."

Thurlow made his AFL debut in 2013, then played a further six games at the highest level in 2014.

His career then suffered a setback late last year when he ended up in hospital with a lacerated kidney following a training accident.

But he fought his way back to fitness, returning to the AFL side for the round three win over Gold Coast.

Since then he has enjoyed a breakout season, averaging 19 disposals and six marks while playing mainly across half-back.

"It's exciting now to be playing some senior footy," said Thurlow, who has played 10 games this year for a career total of 20

To watch the full CatsTV interview with Jackson Thurlow click on the video player at the top of the page