AFTER four months of sweat and hard work, Brisbane Lions utility Tom Collier could be the new poster boy for the much-loved footy term 'a big pre-season'.

Many Lions players and officials floated his name when asked who had trained the house down in the summer months.

Nineteen-year-old Collier played six games in his debut year and has done everything to set himself up for a greater return in 2009.

The NAB Cup opener against St Kilda showed off a new physique foreign to Lions supporters. Gone was Collier's light build – replaced by a far broader, more confident second-year model.

"My size and strength was my biggest area to improve so I did as much as I could there," Collier said. "That was my biggest goal. I've put on 8kg."

The 192cm Tasmanian had an aggressive presence against the Saints, bullocking into contests and using his size to his advantage.

He said he had no specific weight target in the off-season but just wanted to get as strong as possible without affecting his running and endurance.

"I felt more confident going into contests, that's for sure," he said.

Collier has been selected for Friday night's quarter-final against Essendon and said the pre-season matches were vital for fringe players to stake their claims for regular selection.

"Running off half-back is the position I think I'll be vying for," he said.

"Hopefully I can slide into the side in that spot. I've just got to keep doing my job in the practice games and hopefully I can carry that into the season proper.

"You need as many games [as possible] to show what you can do, to put in place what you practise and give yourself the best chance."

While competing with teammates Joel Macdonald and Ash McGrath for those roles, Collier said he was excited by the year ahead.

"You're always working towards finals footy. We finished 10th last year and 10th the year before so playing finals is a definite goal."