JUST AS it was across the road at Rod Laver Arena, not every ball hit the target but the intensity was there.
Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse would have wanted little more from his players as they slugged it out during Wednesday morning's solid session at Gosch's Paddock.
Even before the session started there were a couple of dozen supporters waiting for their heroes to emerge from the Lexus Centre.
Some ball boys, unmistakable in fluoro orange, wandered by on their way to work at the tennis.
A few players that eventually emerged were of a similar vintage, such is the youthfulness of the Collingwood list.
However, these were definitely the Magpies – no fluorescent orange unless you considered rookie John Bennell's boots.
The numbers on the track have been strong throughout the summer, and while Anthony Rocca, Kevin Dyas and Sean Rusling were running earlier on a nearby oval, the Magpies are as healthy as any recent January.
Paul Medhurst, on a restricted program for much of the summer because of a back injury, also made an appearance but it was a brief one.
The Pies played their first scratch match last week and appear to be ramping up their preparations for the NAB Cup opener against West Coast – now just a little more than a fortnight away.
Wednesday’s two-hour hit-out was as vocal as it was taxing.
There was plenty of enthusiasm and the new draftees looked the part – the kind of things coaches and supporters want to see at this time of year.
The session started out with some pretty elementary lane work but soon switched to four-on-four handball drills, followed by tackling work as the sun poured on the heat.
Alan Didak and Travis Cloke, like all smart forwards, seized their chance to work on their goalkicking during the grappling.
Soon it was time to lift another notch as two 'teams', either wearing red or grey training jumpers, started with the ball from the last line of defence.
Their task was to move the ball down the ground or, if acting as the 'opposition', to strip possession from their teammates and hurt them on the rebound.
That can be tricky enough at any stage of the year, but skills are always a bit rustier now.
There were hits, there were misses, but when the Pies were able to get it right, they impressed with the quickness of their ball movement.
While Dale Thomas and Dane Swan sparkled as expected, new recruit Anthony Corrie was a showman of pace and vigour.
Centre-square work and more goalkicking wrapped up the session.
It left the hundred or so diehard fans – holding footy jumpers rather than giant tennis balls – to grab a few quick autographs or a photo before the Pies were gone.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
