Pre-season training underway for clubs including Hawthorn, Melbourne, Brisbane and Carlton

IT HAS been just over a month since Richmond won the premiership but first-to-fourth-year players from non-finalists, including Hawthorn, Melbourne and Brisbane, have already returned for pre-season training.

Brisbane Lions begin pre-season training. Picture: Brisbane Lions Twitter

RICHMOND saluted as 2017’s premier team just over a month ago but pre-season has already started for some clubs who failed to make this year’s finals series.

Brisbane, Fremantle, Hawthorn and Melbourne’s first-to-fourth-year players joined Carlton and North Melbourne’s youngsters — who started training last week — in beginning preparations for season 2018 on Monday.

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Every club’s first-to-fourth-year players start training two weeks earlier than the rest of the playing list.

Collingwood and St Kilda players will return on Wednesday, while Western Bulldogs will kick-off their pre-season on Thursday.

Hawthorn’s first-to-fourth-year players are back training at Waverley Park. Picture: Hawthorn FC

The full squads for non-finalists will return in mid-to-late November.

Training before the players break again over Christmas will consist mostly of running and gym work, including weights and boxing.

First-to-fourth-year players from clubs including the Tigers, Crows and Cats won’t begin pre-season until later this month before being joined by the full squad in early December.

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This year’s return date for Hawthorn’s first-to-fourth years is the earliest it has been in years given the finals and premiership success the club has achieved since 2011.

Players including emerging star Ryan Burton, James Sicily, Daniel Howe, Tim O’Brien and Kaiden Brand reported for day one of pre-season.

Experienced players Liam Shiels and Jack Gunston — who will is in the Australian squad for the International Rules series — have also returned for training a fortnight before they are officially required.

The Hawks will train at Waverley before jetting to New Zealand on December 4 for a five-day training camp in Queenstown.

“It’s been all right,” Burton said of the first day back training on the club’s website. “We had a session out there (on the oval) with most of the young boys and a few of the older boys have come back, which is good as well.

“I expect it (training) to ramp up pretty quickly. We head away soon (to New Zealand), which will be pretty exciting so we’ll just get a good block in before the break.”

North Melbourne’s young players have travelled to Utah for its annual training camp, while Carlton started training a week earlier than today’s starters and will likely give its players an extra week off over Christmas.

November 2017, North Melbourne's pre-season camp in Utah: Jy Simpkin instructs his young teammates at training. Picture: North Melbourne FC

19 Kangaroos have headed to the US, including Luke McDonald, Jy Simpkin, newly-re-signed Braydon Preuss and Kayne Turner.

Lions players have returned to work buoyed by the signing of four-time premiership Hawk Luke Hodge and former Adelaide small forward Charlie Cameron.

While Hodge isn’t required to begin training for another two weeks, his presence on the club’s playing list for next season has provided the young group with a major boost.

Emerging defender Harris Andrews says he can’t wait to learn off the three-time premiership skipper and play alongside him in the club’s developing backline.

Luke Hodge is now a Lion. Picture: Mark Stewart

“It’s exciting for the club and obviously the playing group to get someone like Luke Hodge who has obviously played 300-plus games and has so much experience on-field,” he said.

“It’s a huge coup for the club.

“His experience on-ground, he’s seen every situation ... just his ability to direct on the ground will be fantastic. He’s certainly going to benefit guys like myself and Alex Witherden and Darcy Gardiner and those guys.

“Just his leadership and I guess being able to just go to him and see what he thinks about things, whether that’s on-field or off-field as well, it’s huge.

Harris Andrews at Brisbane pre-season training. Picture: Brisbane Lions Twitter

“To have Charlie (Cameron) as well come back home it’s so exciting. He’s just so quick and will probably make our job down the back end a little bit easier if we’ve got more pressure on our opposition in the forward (line).

“I can’t wait to meet them and play with them.

At Carlton, emerging young gun Jacob Weitering said the club is focused on team “bonding” ahead of 2018 given the club boasts so much young talent.

Connor and Ed catching up on their breaks #foreverfreo pic.twitter.com/e9UsVOJKK4

— Fremantle Dockers (@freodockers) November 6, 2017

Weitering is joined by the likes of Charlie Curnow, Harry McKay, Sam Petrevski-Seton and Zac Fisher in returning for training.

“I think all the boys have come back in really good nick,” he told the club’s website.

“The coaches are putting an emphasis on bonding at the moment. We’ve got the first-to-fourth years back at the moment, so all the young boys and it’s a big group of us, there’s about 20 of us.

“So we’re just trying to get as close as we can and gel as much as we can and learn as much as we can.”