A Belconnen Magpies junior and Magpies fan growing up, Steele has been doing extra sessions with Shaw as he sets his sights on an AFL debut with the Giants this season.

Steele was one of three Canberra players drafted into the AFL this season, the 18-year-old joining Belconnen's Logan Austin (Port Adelaide Power) and Ainslie junior Aaron Vandenberg (Melbourne Demons).

While Giants coach Leon Cameron has tried to ease pressure on his first-year players, telling them there are no expectations on them to play AFL this year, Steele has that ambition.

"It's a goal to play at least one AFL game next season, I'm not sure if that'll happen," said Steele, back in Canberra for the Giants' community camp. "It's definitely possible, I've just got to put my best foot forward. It would be nice to debut in front of a home crowd in Canberra, but if I debut at all next season I'd be happy."

While the Canberra midfielder has been mentored by many of the club's senior players, Steele said one-on-one tuition with Shaw was helping to mentally prepare him for the jump to the AFL. Although Shaw is a defender, Steele said the premiership winner had passed on valuable advice on visualisation.

"I've been doing a little bit of goal-kicking with Heath Shaw recently. He's not a forward, but he's been in the system for 10 years so he's talked me through that a couple of times. It's more mental preparation, just focusing and blocking out distractions.

"When he smothered that Nick Riewoldt kick in the goal-square on grand replay final day in 2010, I always think of that when I see him. He's definitely one of my idols."

Steele is the first Canberra player to be drafted from the Giants Academy system and Cameron said he had been impressed by his initiation to professional footy.

"He plays it hard and tough, puts his head over the footy so he gets that instant respect among his teammates," Cameron said. "We're really looking forward to seeing what he produces this year, there's no pressure on him, it's his first year, but I'm also mindful of not putting a ceiling on him as well."

Steele said he was prepared to be patient. A knee reconstruction stalled his ambition to nominate for the draft in 2013 and he is now among a handful of Canberra players in the AFL, including Josh Bruce (St Kilda) and Jason Tutt (Carlton)

"It just goes to show what the pathway's doing here in Canberra, especially with the Giants. Hopefully it is a new era of Canberra boys in the AFL," Steele said.

"One thing I've been told from a few people at the club, especially welfare officers and a few of the older players, just wait and be patient. There's a lot of ups-and-downs in footy, you've just got to be patient and persistent."