Hell bent on defying the “second-year blues”, Jaeger O’Meara has been training the house down as the reigning NAB AFL Rising Star looks to match his sensational debut season. 

“I’ve felt a lot stronger, fitter and been able to stay out on the track longer this season, so hopefully that will hold me in good stead this year,” he told SUNS TV.

“I’m still a bit nervous about my second year because I still have a lot of things to work on and am nervous that those things may not come to fruition.

”But I’m hell bent on improving on my first year and hopefully I can do just that through the work I have done in the pre-season.”

The 19-year-old midfielder more than lived up to the hype in his rookie campaign. 

Just one of two Gold Coast players to play all 22 matches, O’Meara averaged 22 disposals and five tackles per match.

But the Western Australian has stopped at nothing to avoid being a one-season wonder in 2014, adding significant bulk to his already impressive frame.

O’Meara is confident the extra kilos would only increase his on-field performance.  

"I wanted to put on a couple more kilos," he said.

"I wanted to do it progressively and I've done that. It wasn't too much to do with putting on size, it's more about strength.

"I don't think I'm too big. I'm only 85 kilos and I'm 185 centimetres tall so that's what the strength and conditioning team have told me is good for me so that's what I want to do."

The midfield dynamo was a high-flyer in the 400m repetitions this morning, leading all Gold Coasters on Metricon Stadium’s training oval.