SECOND year midfielder Charlie Constable believes he is ready to take his long-awaited chance at AFL level should it fall his way this season.

Constable impressed against the Eagles in round one of the JLT Community series, winning 26 touches on the afternoon at 73.1 per cent disposal efficiency.

The rangy midfielder told the Geelong Advertiser he wasn’t occupied with when his first chance would come, rather doing the right things in the eyes of his peers.

“I hope it comes but it is just still about earning respect from my teammates,” Constable said.

“But if I get the chance at some stage this year, I definitely think I will be ready and hopefully I can take that chance and stay in the team.”

An improved aerobic base has added another string to Constable’s bow, with the young Cat confident his fitness can stand up to the rigorous requirements of an AFL midfield.

“I guess that was probably my main focus during the pre-season, to build my tank so I would be able to play more minutes in the midfield and transition a little bit better,” he said.

“The fitness staff has done a really good job with me and I still have a long way to go but I think I am getting to a point now where I can be consistent with my work rate and I think that will help my game throughout this year.”

Constable, who now has three JLT Series games to his name, says he took a lot from the opportunity to line-up against last year’s premiers.

“It was good to get the cobwebs out for the first game for the year and I think there were some positives to take out as a team so it was good,” he said.

“Obviously they are a very good midfield and they got a lot of the ball early. So it was quite good to play on them and learn what they do to be able to be so effective around the contest and on then on the spread as well.

“I think our whole midfield can take a little bit away from them, and hopefully that fast tracks my development a little bit as well.”