The 26-year-old decided this was the year to take the plunge and step up from AWFA to NPL 2 level with Murray United.

After crossing to Twin City Wanderers from Cobram Victory in 2014, Zito quickly made a name for himself as a strong-bodied midfielder with the ability to find the back of the net.

But at times he was his own worst enemy - finding it hard to control his aggression and picking up unnecessary cards.

Being more disciplined is one of his biggest focuses in his first season of NPL competition.

"The transition has been very smooth and welcoming, not just with the boys, but the club as a whole," Zito said.

"The biggest challenge for me is getting my head around the step up from AWFA to NPL.

"To me, it’s a big step, you have to always be prepared, train the way you play, be a lot fitter to keep up with the best and always take the best version of yourself out on the pitch.

"It's also just to embrace the challenge, I'm expecting to make some mistakes, but I also expect to go out there, make myself proud and push myself. 

"I haven’t had to change too much in my game, just play the role I have been given, be super disciplined and not get cards."

Zito has never previously played at the level, but didn't see it as a roadblock.

"The reason I took the step up to Murray was to try and improve my soccer, myself as a person and learn more about being professional in and around soccer," he said.

"Also a few people from the club gave me a friendly nudge to get me down.

"The goal for me is to bang a few goals in, play as many games as I can to really get the most out of the season, get some wins on the board and take in everything that I learn and let it soak in."

Arguably the biggest challenge awaiting Zito is the length of the season compared to what he's used to.

Murray plays 28 league matches - 14 of which are away from home, with the closest trip to Shepparton to take on regional rivals Goulburn Valley Suns.

"The main thing is to look after myself and get the recovery sessions in," he said.

"We have great physios that are down at training and there on game days always looking after you.

"I love the game, so it's pretty easy to cope with so far."

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Zito had a tough initiation to the league, with Murray falling 4-0 to Eastern Lions in the season opener last weekend.

The Border side will welcome back striker Zac Walker for Saturday's clash away to Melbourne City.

"The Eastern Lions game was tough, but the beauty of losing is the fact we all get a chance to respond to the loss and fix what went wrong," Zito said. 

"I am confident we can bounce back and get the three points away from home, we have moved on and have prepared for Melbourne City. 

"They are going to be a young, energetic team, but we back our game plan and want to break them down.

"Zac Walker returning is perfect, I played with Zac all through juniors and Super League in Melbourne and I know what he's capable of."

Kick-off is 3pm at La Trobe University, Bundoora.