As Zak Johnson succinctly puts it, “it’s exciting times.”

The NEC Hangar was lively early to mark day one of a fresh start for the Dons this pre-season.

Players filtered in for a 6:30am start and third-year defender Johnson is certainly not alone in his enthusiasm, with a majority of the list returning early despite only the first-to-fourth year players required to train at this stage. 

“We’re excited to be back, all the boys are pumped,” Johnson said.

New faces were welcomed in an initial meeting, with players prepped to embrace change, to exert confidence and expect to be tested physically.

Following the briefing, the squad set out on track to tick the legs over in a gruelling fitness test. Johnson noted the building blocks for what he hopes can drive the Bombers for an improved season.

“We started up with just some fundamentals, bringing those back,” Johnson said.

“We got out there, got the running out of the way and into some more drills, so the footy will progress and we’ll understand the new game plan.”

The 19-year-old commended teammates on their running efforts, with key forward Nate Caddy setting the standard for the months ahead.

“We did an MAS beep test and a few of the boys smashed it,” Johnson said.

“’Cads’ took it out and was unbelievable, everyone ran some great times and we finished it off with two straight one-kilometre runs, so it was a great session.”

Excitement behind Keidean Coleman’s presence has been growing amongst the fans and Johnson shares the sentiment.

He’s keen to learn from the former Brisbane star who quickly showed glimpses of his silky left foot in drills on the day.

“It’s exciting, he’s a great footballer, great skills, sees the game really well,” Johnson said.

“I’m so excited to learn off him and see what he can bring to us.”

The Dons are set to follow up a solid first day back with main training sessions coming on Wednesday and Friday at the NEC Hangar.