He possesses some of the safest hands in the competition, but Ben Brown admits that hasn’t always been the case.

The North cult-figure has been in fine form in the opening five rounds of 2016, averaging almost six marks and more than two goals a game.

But even at the elite level, it can be the negative experiences that have the biggest impact.

“I dropped one mark and then I’d be thinking about it and drop the next one,” Brown said, reflecting on his 2015 finals’ campaign.

“I was trying hard — I wasn’t trying to drop them. I was thinking about it too much and if you over-think it, it can lead you to poor results.”

Despite boasting barely 30 games’ experience, the number 50 said he put too much pressure on himself in the last year's semi-final against the Swans, and in the preliminary final the following week.

To his credit, Brown has quickly turned things around, crediting his work with the club’s psychologist Michael Inglis.

“(Inglis) has put a big emphasis on our on-field preparation on the mental side of it. That’s really improved my self-confidence,” Brown told The Herald Sun.

“It was about the way to think during a game, so if you drop one, it’s not necessarily about trying harder.

“It was less about being results-driven, just about going back to what makes you a good mark or a good kick.

“It’s about going back to, ‘OK, what makes me a good mark? Do I need to focus on my run-up? Do I need to focus on getting my hands in a good position to mark it?’”

Brown has formed part of a lethal combination with Jarrad Waite and Drew Petrie in attack over the past two seasons, while constantly trying to improve his own game as a relatively new face in the Roos' side.

“I try and learn from wherever I can,” he said.

“If I’m watching another team play, I’m looking at their key forwards and how they set up and take marks and get the ball.

“I can look at Cyril Rioli and look at how he picks the ball up and while I know I’m probably not going to do it as well as him, I can take cues off pretty much anyone to help me play better.

“If you’re constantly thinking about it and have got your mind on the job, you can learn from a lot of places.”