Patton, the No.1 pick in last year’s NAB AFL Draft, was sent to Sweden for surgery on his patella tendon early this year, which severely hampered his summer training and delayed him from making his AFL debut until round 12 against Richmond.
The imposing key forward showed glimpses of potential during his seven senior games in 2012 but struggled to make a consistent impact.
As his second summer training block begins, Patton is excited about the prospect of getting his first pre-season under his belt and is trying to learn from two senior members of the Giants squad - Setanta O'hAilpin and Hawthorn recruit Stephen Gilham.
"My mindset is a lot different this year, I’m training so it’s a lot better ... rehab was very hard with early mornings each day," Patton told gwsgiants.com.au.
"You could say that I’m more focused this year and more determined to show people what I can do.
"I want to build a really good fitness base so I can run out games more and ... get some more chemistry with the forward line and the other boys out on the field.
"I’ve spoken to Setanta about pre-seasons and also Steve Gilham about Hawthorn’s pre-season.
"I haven’t had one for a few years so of course my body is going to struggle at times ... I know it’s going to be a tough pre-season but I’m looking forward to it."
Last month, GWS head of sports science John Quinn told AFL.com.au he expected the teenaged key forward to turn heads next season.
"He's up and going now and a good pre-season under Jon Patton, I think people are going to be really surprised with what he brings to us," Quinn said.
The Giants recruited Gilham the final day of the Gillette AFL Trade Period, with the ex-Hawk set to stiffen the GWS backline.
GWS received Gilham along with selections 28 and 65 in the NAB AFL Draft in exchange for NT zone selection Jed Anderson and picks 29 and 68.
O'hAilpin, the former Carlton big man, suffered a season-ending knee injury playing against his old club in May.
