Muscle pumping, lung pounding and sweat soaking is back on the agenda with the Lions’ 1-3 year players returning for pre-season training on Monday 22 October, the 4-7 year players coming back on Monday 29 October and the 8 year plus seniors hitting the gym and running track again on Monday 5 November.

And it’s no gentle re-introduction to the summer workload ahead with a six-day weekly roster crammed with speed sessions, strength sessions, skills sessions, conditioning sessions, kicking sessions, cross training and the flexibility wonders of Pilates and recovery massages.

Despite being offered an extra fortnight off as a reward for being a long-term senior player, Jonathan Brown actually rolled up on 22 October with the 1-3 year players to show that captaincy is not just a title – it’s about being a genuine leader and setting the example.

The entire squad faces two heavy training blocks leading up till Christmas punctuated by a young leadership group camp on 17-18 November conducted by Craig Lambert, a senior leadership group camp on 27-28 November and a whole playing list camp on 17-19 January on the Gold Coast.