With ten pre-season’s under his belt, Heath Hocking knows the importance of balance.

The midfielder has been on a separate program from the rest of the main group and hopes to ramp up his training load in the New Year.

“I haven’t done too much of the main training, just taking it easy in the lead up to Christmas,” Hocking said.

“Obviously with the history of the groin, and I had a shoulder reconstruction at the end of the year, so for me I’m on lighter duties – but watching the boys train, they’re working hard and as they should.

“Last year was disappointing with the amount of wins we had, so we definitely need to get better.

“With Woosha coming in he’s got some clear visions of where he sees the Club going in the future and he’s made his mark on the boys early and they’re really enjoying it.”

The soon to be 28-year-old has managed his training load based on how his body responds, and believes this new approach will see him return in a better position in 2016.

“I need to know my body and I’m at a stage where I can’t do 100% of the training just based on how my body responds to back-to-back training,” Hocking said.

“It’s getting to a stage where you can do as much of that training as you can without breaking down.

“For me it might be one day on, one day off sort of training and really looking after my body and making sure I do all the recovery.

“I need to back myself up for each session. It’s just one of those things, it takes you a while to know how you need to train but I’m sort of getting there I think.”

In 2015, the side missed Hocking's strong body and leadership on the field as the midfielder missed the majority of the season due to a groin injury.

He returned towards the end of the season playing in the final five games and demonstrating just how important he is in a physical sense, but also for the tremendous leadership qualities that he has during the game.

In his five games, Hocking averaged 18 possessions and seven contested possessions.

His ability to slot straight back into the team seamlessly was important for Hocking on a personal level who was unsure whether he still had what it took to mix it with the best.

“It’s hard when you’ve missed over half the season and not played any games,” he said.

“You wonder whether you still have that ability to play at the highest level.

“The last few games I put together some good form that gave me the confidence that even though I did miss a lot of the season, I had worked my way up to a fitness and skill level that can still play at that level.”

Hocking has his sights firmly set on next year and will begin to ramp up his preparation over the next couple of months before what will hopefully be a much better year for him.