CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE BRODIE HOLLAND CTV INTERVIEW AFTER TRAINING IN MACKAY ON FRIDAY

CTV caught up with Brodie Holland after training in Mackay on Friday, with his own form, the mid-season trip and the goals of the team the topics of conversation.

27-year-old Holland returned to the side in round seven after serving a six-match suspension for an incident in last year’s elimination final, and since then has been improving every week, culminating in two very strong performances in the past two rounds against Fremantle and Melbourne.

"It’s taken me a few weeks to get going, I’ve just started to get the match fitness up to where it should be the last couple of weeks," Holland told CTV at Mackay’s Harrup Park.

"I’m still looking to improve in the next few weeks, so reasonably happy with the last two weeks, and hopefully the personal form can improve again and go along with a few more wins."

The Magpies returned to Melbourne after Friday morning’s training session having spent four days in Queensland – one on Hamilton Island and three in Mackay – conducting clinics, training, and regrouping with the AFL’s mid-season break upon us.

According to Holland, the club has also used the break to get the team together and discuss goals for the second half of the season.

"It’s just a chance to get together I think, have a couple of sessions of training, but more or less just get together and see where we want to go for the rest of the year.

"We got together one night and threw a few questions at each other and set a few goals for what we want to achieve at the end of the year, and I think, hopefully, we can finish off in that top four."

The coaches and fitness staff also ensured the boys didn’t lose any conditioning while away, even if the players felt like it was supposed to be a ‘break’.

"We’ve had a couple of solid sessions. The boys have been throwing a few jokes around, like ‘R and R’, relaxation it was supposed to be, but we’ve had a couple of solid sessions, which is good.

"We need to do that as well because we’ve got the weekend off, but it’s been a worthwhile trip."

Unfortunately heavy rain on Thursday night made Harrup Park unusable and forced the team to use the nearby indoor basketball stadium on Friday, but a few of the boys made sure they made the most of the warm and sunny conditions they experienced at Hamilton Island on Tuesday.

"The first day we were in Hamilton Island, there was a little bit of sun there, which was fantastic.

"So the boys got the Speedos on down by the pool, got the banana boat oil out, and away we went."