Q. How are you feeling personally at this stage of the preseason?
A. I am feeling good, but I suppose if you ask anyone they will tell you they are flying this time of year. You don't really know how you are going until you start playing.
Q. This time of year is crucial though to get your fitness up and then I suppose you focus more on the skills after Christmas?
A. That is pretty much right. At the moment there is less emphasis on the skills and footy stuff, and it is more trying to get as much mileage in the legs as you can. Some of the young guys around the club are trying to put on a few kilograms as well and improve their strength. So fitness takes a huge priority at this time of year and then the footballs come out pretty much everyday after Christmas.
Q. When do you start thinking about football and about next season?
A. I think you are always thinking about it and every session you do, you are doing it for a reason - you are trying to get better as a footballer, you are not trying to be a better runner or better in the weights room - it is all adding up to be a better player on the field next year. So I guess with every training session next season is in the back of my mind.
Q. What sort of goals have you set yourself for next season?
A. Being injury free is always the first priority - you are not going to keep improving if you are off the track and trying to rehabilitate yourself from injury. I am just trying to stay injury free and be as fit as I possibly can, so that the coaches can play me in any position on the ground. I can play in the mid-field if my fitness is good enough and also play in defence where I am used to playing.
Q. How often do you think we will see you in the mid-field?
A. I played there a little bit in 2001 and I enjoyed that. I didn't play there as much last year, but obviously I have played most of my footy in defence, which I have enjoyed anyway.
Q. You have done 10 preseasons and we have seen training methods develop a fair bit over that time - how have your preseasons changed and how is this one shaping up?
A. Basically the time management is better now. When I first started playing I was studying full-time as well. You would go to training and do weights, running and skills all in the one session. You would start at 4pm and finish at 8pm three nights a week, but you would be able to fit in your university studies as well. It is now well structured so you have a lot more recovery time between sessions, so you get a lot more out of it.
Q. Would you be doing more weights than you used to?
A. I wouldn't say more weights, but I think you get a lot more out of your sessions because you know when you are doing a weights session, you won't have to be doing a running and a hill session afterwards. The time management is a lot better, but it is more time consuming, which you do accept because you are getting rewarded more for your efforts.
Q. What is the feel around the club at the moment - it is almost a different list at the moment, with the players you have lost and the new recruits - is it a different feel?
A. It is a different feel. We have a lot of young guys. It is always difficult to lose your teammates, but I think you get over that. The place has almost been re-energised because there are so many different faces around and I know in myself that you almost have to prove yourself again to the new faces of the club. It throws up some new challenges. The group is going very well, but as I said before, we will know how well we are travelling when the games start.
Q. Each year we always see a few guys step up on the training track - who can we expect to see from Essendon take the next step in 2003?
A. Some of the young guys are going really well. Cory McGrath has trained fantastically and is working really hard. He would probably be the first to admit that he had a disappointing season last year, so we will be looking forward to a big season from him. Marc Bullen is another guy who is looking really fit and is keen to grab a mid-field spot. Sam Hunt and Ted Richards have really put on a few kilograms and are looking really fit as well. It is really exciting because everyone wants to be a part of this team, so it will be competitive to get a spot.
Q. Where are the areas that you think the team has to improve?
A. The first thing that would be nice is to get everyone available, because I think our best side can challenge any team. We probably can improve across the board - we didn't kick a lot of goals last year, which in the past our forward line has probably been our strength. I definitely think we can generate more run out of defence and hopefully give the team more drive. I think most of our improvement is going to come from the guys pushing for a place in the side. When there is guys that really want to be a part of the team that aren't getting a game, it makes for such a good competitive atmosphere around the club - and you want to be performing week in and week out. Because of the injuries last year, I don't think we had that pressure for a spot in the team.
Q.What have you taken from the loss to Port Adelaide in the semi final last season?
A. It was very disappointing because we really felt that our team was starting to come together at the right time of year and we were playing our best football in the finals. We thought if we could get past Port Adelaide, we had a real chance of going on - but that didn't happen. I guess the main emphasis for us with the changes that have happened, is getting really close as a group and making sure that the spirit is really good and try and get as fit as possible before Christmas.
Q. Speaking about the injuries of last season - did losing Hird and Lloyd put extra pressure on the backline. Does bringing those two back into the equation, help the balance of the whole team?
A. We don't like to rely on certain players in the team, because when they do miss games, you are going to struggle - but they are two of our best players so it doesn't put pressure on one particular area on the field - it puts pressure on the whole group. We went okay without them, but it is definitely important to have those two in the team and also you can't underestimate the importance of Hird's leadership.
Q. The team's fourth quarters last year were not good - is that something that has been addressed at preseason so far?
A. There is no doubt that our fourth quarters were poor last year. I don't know if it was a mental or physical thing - but we have definitely addressed that and are training for a bit longer and a bit harder. We are putting an emphasis on finishing the sessions off really, really well and hard, so hopefully that will transform into good last quarters next year.
