Port Adelaide defender Lachie Jones has declared that a trip to America has put himself, Jason Horne-Francis and Josh Sinn in good stead ahead of the 2025 season.
The trio have had a history of soft-tissue issues during the early stages of their career, and flew over, with Power high-performance staff, to Madison University in Wisconsin to learn more about hamstring injury prevention.
"Myself, (Jason) Horne-Francis and (Josh) Sinn went over to Wisconsin in America for 10 days to do some testing at Madison University, just around soft tissue and hamstrings, pretty much," Jones said on Thursday.
"They've been doing a lot of research into some causes of hamstring strains and ways to avoid it so three of us spent a bit of time over there, with (Head of Medical Services) Tim O'Leary and (Athletic Development Coach) Adam Delcano, and (Physiotherapist) Steph Gourd was there as well.
"Some of the testing was working out what muscles aren't probably working as well as what they should be. And how we can improve the way our body's moving, things that we need to change.
"It was all fairly positive. There's little things that we picked up on that we can fix, that will not only prevent, but, future-proof us."
The Power will be hoping that the trip benefits Sinn in particular, with injuries limiting him to just 10 games since being drafted with Pick 12 in 2021.
Jones has also faced his fair share of soft-tissue injuries during his four years at the club while Horne-Francis faced minor problems in 2024.
Both Sinn and Jones are earmarked for a more permanent role in Port Adelaide's senior side, following the departure of two-time All-Australian Dan Houston.
"At the back end of last year when we didn't have him, we were able to fill that hole," Jones continued.
"There's a list of names there. You can name players that have already established and already there like Burto (Ryan Burton), (Kane) Farrell, (Josh) Sinn, Logan Evans.
"I think we've got a good group of young, small defenders that can fill Dan's position as that attacking halfback."
The Power returned to training on Thursday but will be put through their paces on Friday, with endurance testing to be conducted.