Darren Minchington has been here before and wants to stay here as long as he can.

The 23-year-old midfielder-forward forced his way into Alan Richardson’s 22 on the weekend following a dominant patch at VFL level.

At Etihad Stadium on Sunday, Minchington made his intentions clear, producing one of the best performances of his 24-game career.

Minchington made the most of his opportunities in front of the ball, finishing with an equal career-best 16 possessions, five marks, five score involvements and three goals – the most on the ground.

“I love it out there,” Minchington told saints.com.au after Sunday’s loss to Geelong.

Belief building performance for Minchington says Richardson

“That’s where I want to stay, so hopefully I did enough to keep going for the rest of the year.”

When Minchington plays at Sandringham, he spends the majority of his time in the middle of the ground. When he steps up a level, his role is closer to goal. He says his focus doesn’t change, he continues to build his game around pressure.

“My focus doesn’t change too much, I keep it pretty simple, they stay the same with my pressure, I’ve just got to adjust in terms of my forward play really,” he said.

After playing 13 games in 2016 – the most in any one year of his career to date – Minchington is determined to cement his spot in 2017.

“Cement my spot for the rest of the year, contribute and get the trust from the rest of the boys,” he said.  

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