THE DREAM Team was in disarray. There was confusion between the talls. Body positioning was poor, with many players having to be directed whether to turn right or left. The forward line was okay, except for Mathew Stokes who had to be told to pull his socks up.

Andrew McLeod looked comfortable in the middle, but at the back there was a lack of synchronisation. Brett Burton looked uncertain on the flank; while the Birdman is used to heights he appeared unsteady standing on a chair while his teammates enjoyed the security of the bench.

It was an uncohesive start to the training session on the MCG – but mercifully the Dream Team stars have been chosen for their footy skills rather than their modelling prowess.

As soon as the photographer had finished cajoling them into position for the official photograph and released them to train, the Dream Team leapt into action. With the gold-and-blue monogrammed Sherrins in hand, they were men transformed.

Footy training drills do not vary much regardless of the team or the location. What changes is quality.

Any Victorian spy would have watched in vain for a fluffed mark or a shanked kick. The last time men in white showed such clean hands on the MCG, they were standing in the Australian slips cordon.

The foot skills were equally impressive. There is a large net suspended behind the goals at the southern end of the G, but this afternoon two-thirds of its breadth was redundant. Again and again and again the yellow Sherrins speared between the big sticks.

Burton made the net doubly redundant by roosting a long goal that sailed way over the top. Even more impressive was a Daniel Motlop torpedo that bisected the uprights from 65 metres out. When he made contact with the ball, the cannon-shot sound echoed around the empty grandstands.

Dream Team assistant coach Neale Daniher looked more relaxed than at any time since 1998 in his grey track suit and superannuated sneakers. He took the majority of the ball drills, working with a forward line that included Richo, Matthew Pavlich, Lance Franklin and Cam Mooney.

The two crumbing forwards were Motlop and Stokes. At one point Daniel Kerr crept down for a ping at the sticks but Daniher sent him packing: “Get out of there Kerry! Get back in the midfield.” It was a firm direction, not a joke. There was no mucking around.

Coach Mark Williams spent the early part of the session chatting with support staff before striding into the centre to work with the midfield. He could not help but be impressed by the quality of skills on display, but he also knows that he has insufficient time to embed combinations. Come Saturday night he will be relying on motivation, match-day nous and the inherent class of his troops.

There was little banter. Brett Kirk seemed to be chatting to those around him, but the atmosphere was one of professionalism and respect rather than frivolity. Different types of players, from different clubs and different states and territories, coming together for a common cause. If they play like they train, expect excellence. It might even end up being picture perfect.

Plenty of tickets are still available for the Hall of Fame Tribute Match from Ticketmaster, either online at ticketmaster.com.au or via the Ticketmaster phone booking service on 1300 136 122.