Just days into last year's Trade Period, Cam Zurhaar checked his phone and saw a voice memo appear from Griffin Logue. Teammates at Western Australia throughout junior footy, the old friends were about to be reunited at North Melbourne.

"It was just him going, 'Kanga! Kanga! Kanga!'" Zurhaar tells AFL.com.au.

Logue had just completed a trade from Fremantle, signing a five-year deal with North Melbourne after emerging on the club's radar throughout the season as an important piece in the team's ongoing list build.

Zurhaar himself had also recently committed his future to Arden Street, turning down rival interest to pen a two-year extension with the Kangaroos. Both players are now seen as important long-term cogs at either end of the field.

For Logue, the trade – which saw him move to North Melbourne alongside wingman Darcy Tucker in exchange for a suite of future draft selections – was the conclusion of what he describes as a "weird" period in his career.

A former top-10 draft pick at the Dockers, Logue had been used in a variety of different roles during a 64-game career in Western Australia that stretched across six seasons. A move to the Kangaroos would finally give him some desired continuity.

"I never really understood how it all worked in terms of actually leaving," Logue says.

"If you're under contract or out of contract, trading picks, all of that stuff in terms of what it takes to get across. There's plenty more than just deciding you want to go. You've got to have someone that wants you to come.

"It's never something I saw myself doing, especially growing up and in my early days. But it unfolded throughout the year and the years leading into it. It was pretty spooky, the whole scenario.

"You're going in and asking to leave the club and telling the boys that you're not hanging around. It's a pretty full-on experience and it's still one of the hardest decisions I've ever made, but I reckon it's one of the best as well. I'm very happy with it now."

Having played junior footy together in Western Australia – and against each other, with Logue from Swan Districts and Zurhaar from East Fremantle – the pair were part of a draft class that also brought North its co-captain Jy Simpkin and its star forward Nick Larkey.

"We were pretty close in the under-18s," Logue says.

"Naturally, you drift apart living in separate states. I'd always butter him up every now and then and he would message me about his cooking stuff. The friendship blossomed once I moved over. I can't get rid of him now."

Logue wouldn't want to get rid of him, either. Since moving to Victoria, he has become a regular at Zurhaar's place where he's often treated with restaurant-quality meals thanks to his teammate's biggest passion.

Throughout the COVID-19 lockdowns Zurhaar started 'Bull's Cooking', an avenue to showcase some of his best work. It now has over 13,000 Instagram followers, a website with recipes, t-shirts and tote bags, and will soon feature a restaurant in Melbourne.

"I love it, it's my passion," Zurhaar says.

"I just absolutely love it. I think about it 24/7, to be honest. I lay in bed, going to sleep, thinking about what I'm going to cook for dinner tomorrow night. I think the boys like it a fair bit as well, because they get free feeds from me.

"I'm actually looking to open a burger place soon, just in Melbourne somewhere. Hopefully, in the next six to 12 months, we can do that and then from there I can hopefully start a restaurant and bar business after footy. I've got my recipe down pat, it's a bit of a secret one, but you'll see when it opens up."

Zurhaar suggests a homemade spinach and ricotta agnolotti as his signature dish, but caveats the thought by claiming his North Melbourne teammates are more of the "brisket and pastrami" types. Logue agrees.

"I'm not there for the agnolotti, mate. It's just the smoked meats for me," Logue says.

For now, though, footy takes up the majority of Zurhaar's time. Where his teammate was a former top-10 draft selection, he was a rookie overlooked by every club throughout the national draft. He's made most pay, ever since.

As well as his physicality and craft around goal – Zurhaar kicked a career-high 34 majors last season – he has also proved ultra-reliable. In just four games' time, he is due to clock up a well-earned 100th appearance in North Melbourne colours.

"I'm proud of myself, looking back at it," Zurhaar says.

"Playing 100 games, it's a lot of games. Especially coming into the system as a rookie. I didn't think I'd play one game, let alone 100. You've got to look back and pat yourself on the back a bit. But I feel like I've got a lot of footy ahead of me as well."

Zurhaar is also adding more strings to his bow. Earlier this year, he pinch-hit for stages through the midfield where he proved a handy clearance winner. But the recent emergence of Harry Sheezel and George Wardlaw have put his midfield plans on hold for now.

"I thought he was a poor man's Jordan De Goey," Logue laughs.

Players like Sheezel and Wardlaw – both top-four picks in last year's national draft and instant contenders for the AFL Rising Star award – along with the arrival of experienced recruits like Logue, have Zurhaar of the belief that the tide is turning at Arden Street.

Despite winning only nine of their last 75 games, the Kangaroos are producing more competitive performances more often. The youngsters driving that improvement have the whole club optimistic that a bright future lies ahead.

"They've just got enormous talent," Zurhaar says.

"Just the way they go about it, with how professional they are during the week and how they set themselves up for every single game, it's just unbelievable. It's good to play in the same team as them.

"This year's been a lot different, with the talent of the young boys that we've got at the moment. It feels like we're going in the right direction now, where in previous years we'd been struggling a fair bit.

"Now, we can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel and we want to play with a lot of speed. All of these young kids are starting to bring their flare to the game and it's bloody awesome to see."

Not that anyone at North Melbourne is resting on their laurels, or trusting that things will improve automatically. Having fallen just short of morale-boosting victories over Sydney and Essendon in recent weeks, the rebuilding Kangaroos are still chasing wins.

"Holistically, we don't want to just wait for it to turn," Logue says.

"We want to use this back end of the year as a springboard into a strong pre-season next year so we've got something that we've built off, rather than just waiting for it to turn. It's all about really drilling down on what we need to get better at, not just waiting for it to happen."