The players appeared upbeat, and were particularly vocal, as the session began in the afternoon sun.
There seemed to be a different mood about the group, with laughter, fun and games the order of the day.
The club is desperately hoping a change of scenery and some social time together will help the players snap out of their rut.
Just as chief executive Cameron Schwab was departing, the playing group and coaching staff travelled to beachside Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula, where they spent the night.
There was nothing terribly formal about the activities.
"A bit of bonding; it was just a matter of spending some time together," Demons sports performance director Neil Craig said.
"It's very structured time when you're at a football club, and sometimes it's good to get together from a social perspective."
Craig said after debriefing from the 148-point loss to Essendon, the coaching staff decided to try something different.
He said he wasn't concerned if some of the players decided to have a couple of beers.
"If they did, it wouldn't be an issue for me, because I'm sure it would have been done in a responsible manner."
But the football department is distancing itself from Schwab's resignation, which came after president Don McLardy told him his departure would be in the best interests of the club.
"Those decisions are not football department decisions, they are decisions of the board."
With fans demanding at the very least a better effort from Melbourne players against West Coast on Saturday, Craig said that was what the team hoped to deliver.
"We want more effort. The first 10 minutes against Essendon stood out to me, that's the effort that we required.
"We just want a sustained effort to get that going again so we can actually look at some of our other structures and team play."
Melbourne's board is expected to meet on Wednesday night as the search for a new chief executive begins.
Matt Thompson is a reporter for AFL Media. Follow him on Twitter @MattThompsonAFL
