A natural outside runner, the Camperdown footballer is adding an inside ball-winning edge to his game.

The transformation is still in progress but the reigning Magpies’ best and fairest winner’s selection in the Hampden interleague squad is reward for “all the hard work put in”.

Arnold, 20, was named in coach Jonathan Brown’s initial 48-player team on Thursday after an impressive start to the 2018 season.

“I was an outside player trying to play more as an inside mid,” he said.

“I am still learning it. There are a lot of good midfielders in the other teams, bigger bodies.”

Arnold was one of five Camperdown players selected with midfielders Luke Mahony and Cam Spence and defenders Jack Williams and Fraser Lucas also catching selectors’ attention.

“There’s a lot of good players and I will learn a bit off them and how they go about things at training,” he said.

Camperdown coach Phil Carse said Arnold had been “building towards this for a while”.

“He won the best and fairest last year as a wingman and he’s progressed this year to a midfield-forward role,” he said. “He’s got good height and he’s the best runner at our club and he covers a lot of kilometres across a match.”

Arnold is hoping he can add to his body of work against North Warrnambool Eagles at Leura Oval on Saturday as the Magpies attempt to make it three wins in a row to start the season.

The Corangamite Shire worker said the team was working as a cohesive unit.

“Everyone knows how everyone plays – it’s a brotherhood,” Arnold said.

“We have to beat them (the Eagles) on the inside and deliver well to our forwards because they have pretty good defenders.”

Carse is backing the Magpies’ strong self-belief but is wary of the winless Eagles.

“We know what a quality outfit North is and the fact they haven’t won a game means there will be hunger in their squad,” he said.