Carlton’s 98kg midfielder Tom Bell has signed a two-year contract extension which will keep him at the Blues until at least the end of the 2016 season.

The 23-year-old has played 23 AFL games and was named Carlton’s best first-year player in 2012.

“Tom’s a big-bodied midfielder with good leg speed who can really help out the likes of Marc Murphy and Bryce Gibbs in that midfield area,” Carlton’s football operations manager Andrew McKay said on Wednesday in a statement.

The 187cm Queenslander is averaging 13.4 possessions in seven games in 2014.

Carlton have also re-signed skipper Murphy, Gibbs, Michael Jamison, Kade Simpson, Andrew Walker, Dylan Buckley and Chris Yarran.