WHEN the Tigers went to New Zealand last month, they took Leading Teams with them. So besides the obvious physical activity, they had plenty of team-building, brain-teasing and decision-making sessions. The football department carefully selected the teams to allow players to show leadership skills.

Medical room: Jack Riewoldt has rejoined full training, much to the relief of his teammates, who were being driven mad by him while he was in the rehab group after a finger operation. Nathan Foley's ankle is behaving and he is still running, and should be back in the main group after Christmas, along with key forward Ben Griffiths, who is recovering from a shoulder reconstruction, and Tom Hislop, who had both knees operated on late in the season.

Who's burning: Rookie Pat Contin is tearing up the track; he has come back to training in better condition than ever before, having lost over five kilograms, and is running better as a result of losing the weight. Brett Deledio and Trent Cotchin are right up there as well.

Draftee watch: Dean MacDonald, who hails from Morwell in country Victoria, has not only had to deal with the AFL system - vastly different to that which most players are used to - but has also been living with Jake King. No word on how sharing digs with the push-up king has been affecting him, but the trip to New Zealand for the camp was his first trip in a plane.

Membership: The Tigers are hovering around 22,500 members, about 3000 ahead of the same time last year. They are chasing 46,000 for next season via 'Operation 10,000', which is a campaign to sign 10,000 new members.

After the break: No date has been set for the first intra-club match of the new season, but match simulation is something the squad has been working on through the pre-season. That will continue after the break, along with the usual running and gym sessions.

Telstra Community Camp: The club is off to Darwin at the start of February for their camp, which will lead into the game against the Indigenous All-Stars. No specific timetable has been set yet, but it will involve school visits and footy clinics for the local kids.

NAB Cup opener: February 12 v Carlton and Collingwood at Etihad Stadium.

What they say: "He's in our rehab group at the moment, coming off ankle surgery, but we obviously see him as fitting into the midfield. We're expecting to use him as an outside mid. He's a promising young player who should play early." - assistant coach Danny Daly on the club's first-round draft pick Reece Conca.

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.