Majak Daw believes a change in mindset is the catalyst for his outstanding start to the season.

The Werribee key forward/ruck equaled his best return at VFL level with five goals against Sandringham on Saturday putting him on top of the goal-kicking ladder with 17.

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“I started off reasonably slow and was playing into my opponent’s hands a little bit,” Daw told NMFC.com.au.

“I started to get on the move and get some separation on him, which allowed me to really jump and launch at the ball which is something I’ve been working on with Gavin Brown and the coaches.”

Skills aside, Daw said he’s been working most on his mental application.

“I just think a change in attitude, a bit more maturity and understanding what’s expected of me is helping. I’m just trying to get the best out of myself every time I play and work as hard as I can.”

Easily among the Tigers’ best players in all games so far this season, Daw is pleased all the hard work is playing off despite a late-start to the pre-season recovering from a broken foot.

“I want to be more consistent in my training and in games. I need to close the gap between my good and bad games,” he said.

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“If you look back in the past, my good games can standout and my bad games are really poor. So, I’m really trying to close the gap between my best and worst games and I think I’m doing that so far this year.”

Named as an emergency for the North Melbourne side for the past two weeks, Daw hopes an AFL opportunity is not too far away.

However he’ll have to push Drew Petrie, Jarrad Waite or Ben Brown out of the side in order to get a spot.

“Brad’s (Scott) been telling me to keep proving to the match committee that I’m a genuine forward and an option for them in the ruck,” Daw said.

“All I can do is keep playing well and hope that the next opportunity comes sooner rather than later.”