AWAY from football, Paul Medhurst likes to read and follow the stock market.

He has been disappointed by market falls in recent months, but on-field shares in the Collingwood forward couldn’t get much hotter.

Forget the global economy because if you’d invested in Medhurst when he crossed from Fremantle at the end of 2006, you’d be sitting pretty.

An All-Australian jumper and runner-up finish in the Pies' coveted Copeland Trophy last season was just reward for a 50-goal campaign that helped steer his side to the second week of September.

Despite an injury-plagued summer, the 27-year-old believes 2008's output might just be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to reaching his potential.

"I think that really is just a foundation," Medhurst told collingwoodfc.com.au. "I wouldn’t like to think that it was just a lucky year or a flash-in-the-pan type of thing.

"Even though my workload’s been different and the build-up’s been different, I’ve dedicated myself the same way if not better this year than I did last year.

"The next three or four years or however long I play, I should really follow on and build from 2008.

"The way I look at it, it was a real launching pad and I’d be very disappointed if that was the peak of it. I’d say the next couple of years are going to be pretty exciting for me and the club."

Medhurst's pre-season woes have been well-documented. Stress-related back and foot complaints – brought on by an increased workload in 2008 – meant his summer was limited to hours indoors with the rehab group.

There was no trip to Arizona. No exhaustive running sessions in blistering heat. But still plenty to do.

"It was long," Medhurst said. "I’ve been fortunate so far in my career that I haven’t had too many injury setbacks or things that have put me in the rehab group for an extended period of time.

"I guess it had to happen at some time in my career ... I was fortunate in a way that I didn’t miss any of the regular season games."

Medhurst didn’t think he was too far off the pace in the round one loss to Adelaide but is determined not to let others account for injury when judging his early season displays.

He is a man on a mission with a goal to reproduce what he did last winter – and reproduce it on a consistent basis.

"It will take a couple of games to pick up the fitness side of things," he said of his 2009 prospects.

"I don’t think the injury should impact me in any way. So I don’t see why I wouldn’t have as good or an even better season than last year, aside from just a bit more bench time in the initial couple of games."

To think that Medhurst could so regularly sway the outcome of a match might have seemed outlandish a few years ago.

He always had potential as a Fremantle forward, but believes his trade to Collingwood came at just the right time in his life.

With added maturity he learned how to get the best from himself on a more regular basis.

"You find the balance of how much time you need to put into your training and how much time you need to put into your recovery and also your time away from footy," he said.

"Luckily for me and for Collingwood, that really coincided when I did move over, and I think the trade was the catalyst to get things together.

"But I think also being 25, things naturally started to come together and there was just a change in mindset. [That] was the big thing."

Now firmly entrenched in Collingwood's best 22, the confident Medhurst is also aware of the important role he has as a leader in attack.

While he continues to stick to strategy, coach Mick Malthouse gives him some margin to weave his magic.

"Mick’s very frank with me," Medhurst said. "He lets me know how he feels – that’s the good things and the bad things.

"He gives me a pretty good licence to do my thing on game day but when I do something that falls outside the parameters he certainly lets me know.

"He did that last year and he told me just this week that he’ll continue to do that for the rest of this year and the rest of my career."