UNITING AS one is the first step Melbourne needs to take to get back on track, according to veteran recruit Daniel Cross.

 

Cross, 30, said a clear message during the club's recent three-day camp in Sorrento was that players had broken off in different directions as its two-win, 2013 season unfolded.

 

The Demons took off to the seaside town this week to get their first taste of new coach Paul Roos' game-plan and be introduced to Leading Teams.

 

"Uniting as one as a team is going to be a big thing for this group coming into the next season," Cross said on Thursday.

 

With 11 new players on the list and a midfield less familiar with each other at this stage than a bunch of contestants during the first weeks of Big Brother, Cross said the camp was a step towards setting a strong direction of what the team would stand for.

 

There is no surprise that Roos' game-plan emphasises the importance of defence but other changes have taken place too.

 

The team has also been meditating as it tries to put the horrendous recent past behind it.

 

Cross is clear about his role and confident he can be in the team's best 22 when the season kicks off against St Kilda.

 

Is Cross in line for round one selection? Click here to read AFL.com.au's prediction

However, right now his focus is on training hard and preparing well.

 

"My job is to just go – like I have done in my past 13 years – about my business and train as hard as I possibly can, do the extras while people aren't watching and that gives you the best opportunity to be in the best 22 or starting 18," Cross said.

 

A 210-game career with the Bulldogs, three preliminary finals and five placings in the club's best and fairest suggests it's a recipe that has served him well.

 

His teammate and fellow recruit Bernie Vince could be the Yin to Cross's Yang, due to his more laid back approach.

 

Vince joked he was keen to play this week, such was the excitement generated at the camp.

 

The clichéd 'exciting times ahead' got a run but the rest of his lines were delivered with a cheeky grin and a sense of confidence that should be good for the group.

 

Surprised to be the fourth oldest player on the list – behind Cross, Shannon Byrnes and Mark Jamar – Vince is ready to accept responsibility.

 

However, he says leadership is an attribute all players should demonstrate at the right time.

 

"It's going to take all of us to step up in that area," Vince said.

 

Cross is the lead-by-his-actions type and he understands that making the younger players better is part of his gig. He wants the youngsters to come to him for advice and is rapt it is already happening. 

On-field, he believes his versatility will be an asset.

 

"Whatever role he [new coach Paul Roos] gives me I am happy to play, whether it is tagging someone [or if] Jimmy Toumpas needs to come into the middle and I need to roll out to half-forward then I will do that," Cross said. 

"It will be around the midfield, half-forward, half-back … my main thing is to make sure the side is well balanced."

 

He's put the disappointment of being cut from the Bulldogs behind him and has joined the red and blue throng with enthusiasm.

 

"I'm a Melbourne player now, and I am fully committed to helping the Melbourne Football Club move their way up the ladder," Cross said.