Pre-season is officially underway for several clubs, many of whom have welcomed new recruits.
North Melbourne was back on the track on Monday, with new wingman Dylan Stephens making a strong first impression at Arden Street.
Stephens won the 1.8km shuttle run, with co-captain Jy Simpkin in second place, followed by Darcy Tucker in third.
"It's been awesome over the last week, getting to know the boys, the majority are fresh faces which is great for me," said Stephens, via Roos Media.
"It's been pretty good so far, I'm loving it."
"It's been pretty good so far, I'm loving it."
Our shuttle run winner explains why it's been so easy to settle into life at North Melbourne 🏡#Kangas pic.twitter.com/bnKJvTrSQW
— North Melbourne FC (@NMFCOfficial) November 13, 2023
Over in the West, the Eagles welcomed back first to fourth-year players to the club on Monday.
Noah Long, an emerging youngster who played 19 games in his first season, said he and all the boys have been super eager to officially get back to the club
“It's exciting, it seems like it's been a while in the making,” Long said.
“Us young boys have been back for a little bit now, just training together, kicking the legs over.
“But to officially be back now, it's exciting, I think everybody is ready to have a fresh start and go again.”
Yesterday the players were put through the Maximal Aerobic Speed (MAS) test by new Performance Manager Mathew Inness, a test to calculate a player's cardiovascular fitness.
MAS involves players running continuously faster over a set distance and time, with the speed progressively increasing until the player reaches their maximal effort.
“It was solid, super solid,” Long said.
“It was good to do something different, but it wasn't any easier than any other test.
“We knew (it was coming) but we didn't know exactly how it was going to pan out, but we knew it was going to be something different, Mat had explained it to us a few times, but until today, it was pretty fresh, I don't think anyone had ever done it.
“It was tough, that's for sure.”
Long said fellow 2022 draftee Reuben Ginbey has returned "in super nick" this pre-season after a promising debut campaign in the royal blue and gold.
The big-bodied midfielder was a standout at the club's first day back, with Long noting no other teammate could get close to the local youngster.
“He's in super nick at the moment, he's been sort of the benchmark for boys to catch over the off-season so far,” Long said of Ginbey.
“No matter how hard you try, or anyone tries, you just can't catch him.
“He's set a great standard so far for the boys to get to and after his hammy last year, I think he's had a good opportunity to get super fit again and add a bit more size.”
Pre-season will officially commence for other clubs later this month, while senior players are also expected to return in the coming weeks.
