THE DOGS resumed training on November 15 with the majority of the sessions at Whitten Oval. They did break ranks for an adventure camp in New Zealand in December with lengthy hikes, an eight-hour race and canyon swinging and jet-boating splitting some tough training sessions.

Medical room: Brian Lake should start running in the middle of January while Adam Cooney started before Christmas. Callan Ward is progressing well but Ryan Hargrave is returning a little slower from foot surgery. He has been running. Those who had shoulder operations - Ayce Cordy, Jordan Roughead, Sam Reid, Lukas Markovic and Lindsay Gilbee - are on track for competitive work in the new year.

Who's burning: Brennan Stack and Will Minson have impressed so far. Stack has been the surprise packet for the club with his running, especially on the New Zealand camp, while Minson has dropped weight and has put the injuries and illness he battled this year behind him. His enthusiasm has also been noted by the coaching staff.

Draftee watch: Athletic Territorian Zephaniah Skinner has burst into his AFL career with a signature hairstyle and the ability to "leap tall buildings", according to Rodney Eade. His sense of humour was evident on his first day when he walked up to Daniel Giansiracusa and opened with the line, "Hey bro, you're a bit grey in the hair, man."

Membership: The membership tally was 16,374 as Christmas approached, which was about 10 per cent up on last year. The club also launched a new membership website with interactive tools for interested supporters.

After the break: Footballs will be a regular sight when the players return on January 4 although building a substantial fitness base will remain a key part of training. Players can expect higher intensity and more game running in a vital six-week period heading into the first intra-club match on February 12 and the NAB Cup competition.

Telstra Community Camp: The Bulldogs are off to the Wimmera city of Horsham over February 10-11 for a super clinic, schools visits and a training session.

NAB Cup opener: February 20 v Geelong and North Melbourne at Skilled Stadium.

What they say: "We've been pleasantly surprised with how the new traded players have fitted in and are training. The biggest area of concern are the rehab guys but Cooney and Ward are back running and there have been no hiccups with the others, especially Lake. Things are about where we hoped. We haven't put the massive load in pre-Christmas like we've done in previous years but we're still running well and we'll crank it up in January." - senior coach Rodney Eade.

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