Jordan De Goey wants to lead a youth revolution at Collingwood as their AFL season hangs by a thread.
Sunday's four-goal loss to Hawthorn left the Magpies three games out of the top eight with eight rounds left.
It further fuels speculation about the future of coach Nathan Buckley.
But De Goey remains upbeat about what the Magpies can do this season after he had a career-high 32 disposals in Sunday's loss.
Asked about their dwindling finals prospects, De Goey called on other young Magpies to take their chances.
"Obviously there are a lot of young boys in the team and my game on the weekend just proved that if you work hard, you reap the rewards," he said.
"There are a lot of other kids just like me who are waiting for that opportunity.
"It's up to our younger boys to really step forward and not leave it up to the older guys, because for the last few weeks I really think they've been carrying the team."
De Goey's strong game on Sunday was also a step in the right direction as he tries to regain some trust at Collingwood.
The Magpies suspended him in March for lying about how he broke his hand.
De Goey originally said the injury happened while playing with his dog, but it quickly emerged it was because of a bar fight.
"I'm just trying to go out there and play my role for the team and by doing that, I think that's going to gain the trust of the team back," De Goey said.
"Obviously it's not going to happen overnight.
"For me, it's just been one good week and I definitely have to back this up, make this a weekly occurrence.
"Obviously no-one wants to start a season like that, but to get back and playing now, get some consistency, it really helps."
De Goey thanked Buckley for the support he received from his coach during the controversy.
"He's been massive, he's been supporting me the whole way through," De Goey said of Buckley.
"Personally, he's been the best coach I've had."
De Goey said tackling could be an emphasis at training ahead of Saturday's must-win match against Essendon, saying it was an area they definitely needed to improve on.
Their movement of the ball into attack also continues to be a big problem.
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