AFL news: Players return for start of pre-season training

Essendon’s review highlighted a need for elite fitness and ‘higher training standards’, and a new coaching team has promised to deliver from day one of pre-season.

Essendon is adamant its players have already laid the groundwork for a gruelling summer after the club’s admission it needed a “demanding” pre-season following a year with too many unfit players.

The Bombers’ young players will return to the Hangar on Monday to start their pre-Christmas block of training after an off-season of profound change at the club.

New coach Brad Scott has promised a methodical build instead of a quick fix and has a significantly beefed-up development team to maximise the club’s exciting young list.

Football boss Josh Mahoney told the Herald Sun on Sunday that team lacked for nothing, headed by Cam Roberts and including Michael Hurley, Brent Stanton, Leigh Tudor, VFLW coach Travis Cloke and AFLW coach Natalie Wood.

It means Essendon will give its core group of 18-25 year olds every chance to make the kind of dramatic improvement best-and-fairest winner Peter Wright achieved in the past two seasons.

But first the Bombers must reach elite fitness after president David Barham said the club’s review stated a need to “drive higher training standards and to build a better fitness base” with a “demanding pre-season” that improved fitness across the board.

Club legend Adam Ramanauskas called out Jake Stringer for his poor work rate after he returned from injury mid-season looking unfit.

Jake Stringer (right) has been singled out after Essendon’s training standards came under scrutiny. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

The Bombers group were unfairly criticised for heading overseas for a post-season football trip, and Mahoney said months of training through the off-season had them ready to go.

“I think across the competition you can see there are players itching to get back into pre-season. Our players are no different. They have been getting together in reasonable size groups and working hard together. From what we have seen already for guys coming through the Hangar, they are in good shape and they will be able to hit the ground running tomorrow,” Mahoney said.

“That trip was a long time ago now, so they have had that time, and now had a solid block of six to eight weeks of training with an off-season program. There is not much time, only four weeks before the Christmas break so every training session is important for us and the players are really clear that is our mindset going into this pre-season.”

Jye Caldwell had AC joint surgery post-season but will join in full training before Christmas, with James Stewart (foot) and Tex Wanganeen (navicular) the only two other players who will not be at full pace immediately upon their return.

New coach Brad Scott is still working on Essendon’s game plan. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nicki Connolly

Dyson Heppell could give up the captaincy after signing on again for another season but Mahoney said the club hadn’t worked through that process.

“It’s probably something we will look at through the pre-season period. We haven’t had any discussions with Dyson about it. He is our captain and we have a good group of players around him that help out, but it will bea focus for us across our playing group to improve our leadership capabilities, and it’s not just going to fall on our captain.”

Mahoney said new coach Scott would work on his game style across summer to marry it with the list’s strengths, but was aware of the need to prioritise contest work and the club’s defence.

“Brad is taking time to work out our list, what our strengths are as a team and it will evolve over the pre-season,” he said.

“We think when we do play offensively we are naturally a very effective team going forward.

“We had some work to do defensively, but we think a balanced approach and improving around the contest is going to be important for us and making sure we still have the flair in offence, but also strengthening up our defence.”