IT HAPPENS during the pre-season every year. We look for the players who've returned from the summer looking like changed men.

Some look stronger. Some look leaner. Some have longer hair. Some have more tattoos.

One of the great interests is the players who’ve changed positions to a degree that makes you sit up. Specifically, flaky forwards who've gone back. This year we've got a couple of beauties.

Leon Davis is well-known for his poor performances in finals as a small forward. Davis was dropped after last year's drawn Grand Final. At 29 years of age and with more than 200 games behind him, his career is on the line.

But if pre-season form is any guide, the decision to turn him into a creative half-back seems seems inspired.

Davis was best on ground at half-time of the NAB Cup grand final against Essendon on Friday night. By the end of the game, he was in the top few, not far behind the Tuck Medal-winner Heath Shaw.

Davis has the nous to read the play and dance out of trouble. His disposal is precise and, even in a team with as much in its armoury as Collingwood, he offers an edge. Players upfield will take more chances when they see Davis with the ball.

The other one has more resonance in the long term. Chris Yarran was picked up as a No.6 pick in the 2008 draft. He's a player who caresses the ball rather than grabs it. At half-forward, a goal always seems a possibility when he's in near the ball.

But Yarran's performances at half-back during the pre-season makes you think of more possibilities again. He looks to love the fact that he can run straight at the ball. If he stays at half-back, he'll double his possessions tally. He could even become an All-Australian.

There are other categories we check out at this time of year, such as the bolters who've come from nowhere, the second-timers, and those backing up from injury-riddled seasons.

One of the bolters looks to be Brisbane's Pearce Hanley, a dashing half-back who was best on ground in the Lions' victory over Gold Coast Suns at the weekend. It's understandable, given his Irish background, that he's taken a little while to mature. He might be worth the wait.

Another bolter is Essendon's Stewart Crameri, whose full-blooded attacks on the ball were a feature of the NAB Cup.

Crameri is the opposite of the high-stepping O'Brien and Mzungu. There's something old-fashioned about his build and the way he plays. He looks set to play senior football.

Of those who started their AFL career at another club, former Tiger Andrew Krakouer has added strength over the ball to his ability to read the ball off a pack.

It's his form that has pushed David to the backline. Collingwood, the convincing premier in 2010, has actually improved with Krakouer in the team.

Another Collingwood player, former Demon Simon Buckley, was outstanding in the Pies' VFL team in 2010. He's shown dash and daring off half-back during the NAB Cup. He may yet get his chance.

Former Geelong half-forward Ryan Gamble shows signs of being a handy pick-up for the Saints, while tough former Port Adelaide midfielder Nick Lower was praised by Mark Harvey for his performance in Freo's match against the Eagles at the weekend.

Of the players whose 2010 was blighted by injury, Drew Petrie's return is significant for North Melbourne. Petrie's foot problems limited him to just two games last year.

Under the new interchange rules, he looks a good bet to play the second ruck-key forward role in 2011.

Port Adelaide would be excited to have Robbie Gray playing good footy after his injury-interrupted 2010.

Gray's highlight last season was earning the award for best on ground in a Showdown, an award that's rarely picked up by duds.

Nathan Foley has provided the Tigers with one of their few positive stories of the pre-season. He's shown great patience in overcoming an ankle injury that first kept him out midway through the 2009 season.

Adelaide has welcomed back from injury David Mackay and Chris Knights. The Crows are entering the 2011 season with great optimism.

One of the odd aspects of this pre-season has been the lack of news surrounding Geelong ruckman Brad Ottens. Not one story of a bung knee or a strange water-skiing mishap. Anything is possible when big Otto is playing unhindered in March.