A DAY or so after Mitchell Thorp had kicked three goals for Box Hill in a half against Sandringham earlier this year, the cocksure Tasmanian teen was congratulated on his game by a Hawthorn insider. "Good first half, Thorpy," said the official.

"What was wrong with my second half?," Thorp shot back.

On another occasion this year, before a VFL game, Thorp was dismissive of his opponent's aerobic running capacity. "He hasn't got the wheels to go with me," predicted Thorp, who might be the game's next FIGJAM, given that the original (undeserved) owner of that uncharitable acronym, Nathan Buckley, is soon to exit the stage.

A great centre half-forward needs the capacity to read the game, good hands, a high work-rate and willingness to accept, or initiate, body contact. Wayne Carey, Dermott Brereton, Jonathan Brown and Barry Hall had, or have, all those traits. They also own more than a hint of arrogance.

Royce Hart, another self-confident Tassie centre half-forward, was sufficiently taken with his own ability that he named himself in his best ever team when he was still in his early 20s. A 17-year-old Carey once told Denis Pagan that he wasn't at North to play under 19s. He'd be playing "in the ones" that year.

Whether he becomes the player Hawthorn hopes and believes he will, Thorp has the centre half-forward's cockiness. Last weekend, before his debut, assistant coach Todd Viney told Triple M Thorp carried himself with a bit of "the Carey strut" — a suggestion that led commentators to brand him, tongue-in-cheek, as "the Duckling".

No one, with the possible exception of Thorp, is seriously suggesting that he is the next Carey or Hart. But it is refreshing, at a time when young under-18 machines are uniformly deferential and respectful, to see a young key forward in a hurry.

Thorp is a cousin of the one of the most capable and colourful players in the game's history, Brent "Tiger" Crosswell, whose eccentric flair was evident on the field, off it and in his peerless writings in The Age. Tiger, doubtless, would approve of his cousin's swagger, provided he backed it up, Akermanis-style.

Hawthorn was well aware of what it was getting before it drafted Thorp with its first pick, No. 6, last November. Mindful of how a strutter can be received, the club not only did a rigorous psychological profile of Thorp's personality, it did a thorough analysis of how — that is, if — he would fit with the playing group, which includes such diverse characters as Lance "Buddy" Franklin, Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell and Trent Croad.

The Hawks were satisfied that Thorp would complement their mix of people as much as he would provide the key forward they wanted. As Hawthorn's player personnel manager, Chris Pelchen, explained it, the club liked Thorp's "bombastic" nature. "We always saw that edge as a positive," Pelchen said.

Pelchen subscribes to the theory that, on the whole, centre half-forwards tend be self-assured alpha-male types and noted that while Thorp was not yet at the stage where he actively sought body contact, he wasn't shy about collisions, either.

The club's summary of Thorp, said Pelchen, was that while he had "extreme confidence in his own ability", he was willing to back it up with hard work. The major pre-draft negative on Thorp was pace — he is no grass-burner — and, according to rival clubs, is much more at ease in attack than defence.

That the confidence wasn't just talk was evident last Sunday when Thorp kicked his first goal. He'd marked on an angle of worse than 45 degrees at the Punt Road end of the MCG, and, after sizing up his options, played on, improving the angle considerably and screwed the ball across his body to slot goal No. 1. It was a manoeuvre that showcased ambition and poise.

Thorp would have played earlier than round 15 were it not for a hip injury that afflicted him in pre-season and in early games after kicking 6.4 in a VFL game against Geelong some weeks ago.

In hindsight, Hawthorn believes his hip cartilage was torn when he did a 14 beep at the draft camp — if so, there's competitive substance beneath that egotistical exterior.

For Mitchell Thorp, what lies beneath will determine whether he's a serious centre half-forward or just another blowhard.