Arrivals (* denotes rookie-listed player)
On-field: Brent Prismall (Geelong – traded for pick 39 in the NAB AFL Draft), Hayden Skipworth (selection No.3 overall in the NAB AFL Pre-season Draft), Michael Hurley (selection No.5 overall NAB AFL Draft), David Zaharakis (No.23), Michael Still (No.55), Tyson Slattery (No.67), Jarrod Atkinson* (rookie elevation), Bryce Carroll (selection No.5 overall in the NAB AFL Rookie Draft), Thomas German (No.21), Christian Bock (No.36), Kade Klemke (No.50), Michael Quinn* (international rookie, No.64).
Off-field: Paul Hamilton (football operations manager), Alan Richardson (assistant coach), Stuart Cormack (high performance coach), Adam Ramanauskas (development), Simon Madden (ruck coach), Denise Jennings (physical preparation assistant), Benita Lalor (performance dietician), Marcus Probert (athlete development coordinator).
Departures
On-field: Adam Ramanauskas (retired), Jason Johnson (retired), Mal Michael (retired), Damien Peverill (delisted), Tom Hislop (delisted), Andrew Lee (delisted), Courtney Johns (delisted), Dean Dick* (delisted), Danny Chartres* (delisted).
Off-field: John Quinn (head fitness coach), Joel Hocking (fitness coach).
Pre-season training started: Wednesday, November 5.
When does training resume post-Christmas: Monday, January 5.
Medical room
Jason Winderlich (back): had delicate back operation in August, was moving much more freely in early December according to the club.
Paddy Ryder (shoulder): had shoulder reconstructed in early September.
Jobe Watson (shoulder): had shoulder stabilisation surgery in early September.
Jason Laycock (ankle): had ankle operated on in early September, was close to joining in full training in early December.
Scott Lucas (kneecap): had arthroscope in early September to remove rough cartilage from under his kneecap, was increasing his training load in early December.
David Hille (hand): had screws inserted into metacarpal after breaking his hand in round 20.
Adam McPhee (ankle/thumb): had ankle surgery in early September and thumb surgery a few weeks later to repair torn tendons, was close to joining in full training in early December.
Leroy Jetta (shoulder): had shoulder surgery in the off-season.
Mark McVeigh (toe): injured toe while training in late November, wore a moon boot for a week and was expected to be back training in early January.
Alwyn Davey (knee): had a knee reconstruction after round five, is expected to return to action in round one next year. Has commenced straight-line running.
Brent Prismall (knee): had a knee reconstruction after the qualifying final, is expected to be available to play in the first half of the 2009 season. Has commenced light running.
Bachar Houli (groin): had groin surgery at the end of the season, was gradually increasing his training load in early December.
Scott Gumbleton (hamstring/collarbone): has completed all sessions after an injury-prone year.
Darcy Daniher (back): likely to remain on modified pre-season program until after Christmas. Individual program is slowly being built up.
Who's burning?
Scott Gumbleton, the 2006 second selection overall in the NAB AFL Draft, may have finally put the injury concerns that have plagued his short career behind him, with the club reporting the 20-year-old is "doing everything and looking and feeling good". The Bombers' official website said the Western Australian recently recorded a 15.2 beep test, which is a terrific result for a player close to 200cm tall.
Andrew Lovett is the other Bomber impressing after a controversial year that almost saw him traded to another club. He is "training with real intensity", the club says, and has gone a long way towards regaining the respect of his teammates.
Pre-season training camps
The Bombers held a week-long pre-season training camp in Coffs Harbour in December. The key objectives of the camp were game strategy, tactics and leadership.
Pre-season training overview
"There were six weeks hard conditioning work done leading up to the camp and while there they did some skills and conditioning work at the camp, it wasn't the usual flog them, army-type camp.
"It was an opportunity to get all the players together, bring people closer together and give us a chance to really hone in on what our specific goals are for individual players and the group.
"All the guys that have just been drafted had the chance to go along to the camp and bond with their new teammates and the new staff was there too, so they got the chance to mix with the players and get to know them better. We want everyone really working well together."
– football operations manager Paul Hamilton
What coach Matthew Knights says:
"I would expect that we would definitely have improvement next year in a number of areas of our game. In putting a specific on what parts, we're obviously working through that at the moment with the coaching group and the players.
"But you would expect the players to improve and our game style to develop. And we will continue to put games through young players who deserve them so we can continue to expand on our experience."
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
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More pre-season reports
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