THERE are not many players entering their fourth season with durability to rival that of Steele Sidebottom.

The 21-year-old Collingwood forward, who was drafted in 2008 and made his debut in round seven the following year against St Kilda, has played 61 of a possible 70 games since he joined the club.

In fact, he's missed just one game through injury - round 14, 2010, when he was a late withdrawal with a calf complaint - in his time as a Pie.

So what's his secret? Super-diligent recovery? Yoga? Extra massage? Secret pool sessions?

Sidebottom says the answer could be as simple as luck - and perhaps the four older brothers who toughened him as they grew up in the tiny Victorian town of Tallygaroopna, located about 20km north of Shepparton. 

"It might be because of them," Sidebottom said about siblings Trent, Tyson, Josh and Ryan. 

"Maybe it's the fitness staff at the club. I'll put it to them.

"I suppose I've been lucky with injury. To date, I've never really had any bad ones. I've had a couple of broken fingers and stuff but I think most people push through them and tape them up.

Click here to view photos from Collingwood's stay in Wangaratta.

"Maybe it is the fitness staff and the program we have, but maybe I've just been lucky - and hopefully that can continue."

Sidebottom isn't a freak of nature, immune to the grind and physicality of the sport. He admits he gets sore during the season when the games accumulate, and needs to recover just like everyone else. 

But for some reason, it doesn't affect him as much as it does others.

"I do get sore but probably not as much as other guys. I think in my second year I got a bit sore through my groins but that was earlier in the season and I was probably lucky to get through it," he said.

Collingwood's midfield coach Robert Harvey, with whom Sidebottom has been working over the pre-season as he aims towards a transition to the midfield, knows all about longevity and durability.

Harvey played 383 games for St Kilda over 21seasons, and always aimed to be a good trainer with high work ethic.

He said Sidebottom's ability to get the most out of himself each game day came from a determination to prove himself during the week.

"He hardly misses training, which is a really good quality to have," Harvey said.

"It gives him every chance as a young player to build his base really quickly, and he's done that.

"He wants to be able to match it with those really big, strong inside midfielders, which he's working on and [also] techniques about how you manage those situations, and he's been really willing to learn."

Sidebottom played every match last season, but said he managed "only a handful" of decent games.

Post-season he went to Bali and spent time with family in country Victoria, returning to the club with the hope of playing a consistent role in the midfield and shadowing Harvey, Dane Swan and Scott Pendlebury in a bid to learn.

"He has needed to work on some stuff around the stoppages and body work, which he's been keen to do, and he's shown a really sharp improvement in that area over the pre-season," Harvey said.

"He's been one of our better performers in the midfield so far this year.

"Internally, his defensive running is not underrated but externally, people might not see the effect that has on the team.

"Even as a midfielder, that can be really valuable. It's an essential part of the midfield and Steele does that pretty naturally.

"He covers a lot of defensive stuff in there, and he has great fitness, which helps him to cover the ground, but his willingness to play for the team and his sacrifice is really good and that's what you need to be a balanced midfielder in the AFL."

Sidebottom was back in the country this week as part of Collingwood's Australia Post AFL Community Camp, which took the Magpies to Wangaratta for an overnight stay.

"I don't know if it's just me but it feels a bit easier to breathe as well," he said, after an early morning training session at the Wangaratta Showgrounds.

"It's good to get back to country. It's a bit different with all the buildings around Melbourne; there are a few more trees around here.

"I do [miss the country] a little bit but I still try and get back home as much as I can. It's only two hours down the road so it's handy for me."

Jennifer Witham is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow her on Twitter @AFL_JenWitham.