USUALLY, it's the coach giving his player advice at an end-of-season exit meeting, but Bailey Humphrey turned the tables last year when he walked into Damien Hardwick's office.

Following his second season in the AFL, Humphrey took Hardwick's feedback on board and then had some of his own for the three-time premiership coach.

MEDICAL ROOM Check out the full injury list

Ahead of the 2024 season, Hardwick had likened Humphrey to Dustin Martin, Jordan De Goey and Toby Greene.

It was an effort from the new coach to instil belief in the shy then-teenager.

However, the comparisons proved a burden for the boy from Moe, as he struggled to meet the hype for much of the year.

"'Dimma' backed me in a fair bit last year and I couldn't get to that expectation," Humphrey told AFL.com.au.

"In my exit meeting I told him to leave my name out of any media in the pre-season, just to let me do my thing and I'll show him why it'll be helpful.

"He apologised for pumping me up in the pre-season. It was nothing to apologise for, he was just backing me in, and I love having a coach that backs me in, but I just couldn't live up to it.

BROWNLOW PREDICTOR Check out all the votes

"I just want to be me, play the way I play and play to my strengths.

"He's realised that now and he's loving the way I'm going about it, which is good."

And Hardwick has good reason to love Humphrey's progress in season three.

The powerful forward/midfielder is averaging 16 disposals (up from 10) and kicked 12 goals in his 14 games.

He has also been used heavily in the midfield, specifically at centre bounces, to complement trusted trio Noah Anderson, Matt Rowell and Touk Miller.

Humphrey is not only influential with the ball in his vicinity, but has improved dramatically without it, as evidenced by his rundown tackle on Kysaiah Pickett during Saturday's win over Melbourne.

He improved physically between seasons and also went about addressing the mental side of his game.

Humphrey not only gets help with the mental performance side within the club, but also sees a psychologist outside the club on a weekly basis.

"I'm not going to have big games every week, and I've wrapped my head around that now," he said.

"Pretty much having two meetings with psychologists each week helps me clear my mind for the weekend.

"I'm not so hard on myself anymore, which is good.

"Last year if I didn't touch the ball in the first quarter, I'd be screwed for the rest of the game. 

"This year I've realised it's a long game and I've just got to find ways to get into the game a bit more.

"I think that's what I've done this year, play to my strengths and play with a smile on my face, which is nice."