PORT Adelaide midfielder Xavier Duursma wants to put two disappointing seasons behind him and make the wing his own in 2023 after rediscovering his running power during an off-season of reflection.

Duursma made an exciting start to his career in 2019 and played 35 games across his first two seasons, but he has been restricted to just 11 games in each of the past two years because of injury and form struggles.

The 22-year-old worked with both the Power's mindset coach and club psychologist during the off-season, while also reflecting on his strengths, with a determination to get his aerobic assets back this year.

"I went away in the off-season and worked pretty hard on, number one, being healthy, and then working really hard about getting my routine right," Duursma said on Friday.  

"Doing that, I discovered a few things about myself … and I've learned what is good for me and what is not.

"Getting back to my actual strengths and understanding what they are and implementing them on the training track is really giving me some confidence in myself right now."

Duursma has enjoyed an impressive pre-season so far, excelling during a hard-working block since returning from the Christmas break.

His running power is back, putting him in an ideal position to lock down a wing after the departure of Karl Amon to Hawthorn as a free agent at the end of last season.

"I know what works for me now, what my strengths are, and I can go back to that now and focus on that stuff," Duursma said.

"No.1 is I'm a really good runner, and that's where it starts for me. The last couple of years I haven't had that as much as a strength, [but] I'm getting that right back up there this year.

"I've been working really hard in the off-season and the pre-season so far to put myself in the right position to really take hold of that and make the wing my spot."

Duursma said a combination of injuries, form and a lack of confidence had contributed to two disappointing years that had stripped him of other standout attributes, including his marking ability.

"I wasn’t confident at all with my knee and with my shoulder… (and) I wasn't confident to be able to jump if I'm being honest," he said.

"It's been a challenging couple of years [but] I think this is building towards a really good year. That's what I’m hoping for and working towards on the track."