MITCH GEORGIADES has expressed his gratitude to the Port Adelaide Football Club for allowing him to remain in Perth with his family in the lead-up to Christmas.

The high-flying forward and fellow West Australian Jake Pasini have remained in their home state for the start of pre-season training to ensure the border restrictions don’t leave them separated from family during the festive break.

The 20-year-old, who finished third in the 2021 Rising Star voting, has been working hard despite being away from Alberton and is thankful for the trust the club has in him.

“I’m so grateful that the club let us stay in Perth over this period,” he told portadelaidefc.com.au.

“Unfortunately, with the borders closing to SA, I could get over to train with the boys but wouldn’t be able to get back for Christmas so for the club to allow me and Jake to stay over here was really something we’re grateful for.

“We spoke to (Head of High Performance) Stewy Graham and to (coach) Ken (Hinkley) and for them it’s more important for us to have Christmas and three weeks with our families which I’m so excited for.

“To just maintain our training over here, it’s something we’re making sure we’re doing really professionally to keep up those standards.

“Unfortunately, not being back with the boys is something that’s a bit challenging, being separated from them at this time of the year but to continue and maintain our training over here is exciting.”

Georgiades and Pasini have been training with WAFL club Claremont, which is near Georgiades’ family home and full of his old school mates.

He said the club had been very welcoming to him and some other West Australian AFL players.

“I know a couple of boys down there who I went to school with and I spoke with a couple of the other AFL boys who are stuck in a similar situation and they said they were going down to Claremont – the likes of (Sydney’s) Logan McDonald, Chad Warner, (Greater Western Sydney’s) Matt De Boer, Bobby Hill and they said they were going down to Claremont.

“I spoke with the club and they were really all for it to enjoy the team aspect rather than training by yourself and get some football into our legs as well.

“It’s a bit of fun down there with the boys I haven’t played or trained with for four or five years since I left school, which is really exciting.”

Despite the close proximity, Georgiades has not been learning any secrets from his rival players.

“They’re keeping their hands pretty close to their chest but it’s a good little gauge to see what they’re doing – their running – and see how ours compares to theirs,” he said.

“We like to have a little competition to see who is doing more at the end.”

One of the biggest challenges, Georgiades explained, was not being able to meet a host of new recruits at Port Adelaide including its four first-year draftees, but he said he was eager to make up for lost time upon his return to the club in January – admitting he had only exchanged text messages with the new crop.

Georgiades and Pasini have strict training programs to follow and are very aware that their every move is being monitored.

Training starts in the evening – on Wednesday in 35-degree conditions – but the pair have been getting to training early to fit in gym work.

“There’s no chance to cheat because we wear our GPS every training session and everything gets sent back to the club,” Georgiades explained.

“To be honest there’s nothing worse than cheating and coming back in January and being a bit behind. That would be a bit of a (slap) in the face to the club for letting us stay here and train so we’re doing everything that we can to make sure we’re in the best possible nick for when we come back in January.”

Georgiades’ off-season has been full of time with the family as well as plenty of fishing, surfing, cycling and golf.

He has returned with a renewed focus on areas for improvement, following a productive exit meeting with his coaches.

“The exit meeting was a really positive one looking at the way I played throughout the season which was good and continuing to build on that – looking to being better on the ground, having more of an influence when the ball hits the ground, being able to utilise some of my skills and assets when the ball hits the ground and being able to have more of an influence when that happens,” he explained of the discussions following his 32 goals in 21 games in just his second AFL season.

“Going into the off-season that’s been a real focus for me – my skills, my ground balls, my overall pressure on the ground, which is something I’ll continue to work on.

“I learned so much in the last year from Charlie (Dixon) and the people around me, the coaches, just continuing to develop some of the skills.

“I’m proud of the season in a way. To be able to play 21 games, I’m proud of myself and proud of the team for where we got to.”

With a plan to return a week early after the Christmas break, Georgiades is planning to squeeze in as much family time as possible after a two-year stretch in Adelaide where the pandemic limited his opportunities to travel.

“I might also head down south a bit over the Christmas break and enjoy a bit of the sun and the warm weather over here in Perth,” Georgiades said.

“I might shoot over to (Rottnest Island) and catch a few crayfish, which would be very nice.

“I’ll be back (to Adelaide) in early January which will be nice. I’ll be back a week earlier than the rest of the boys just to get stuck in having missed these three weeks (before Christmas) just to get back into the swing of things again and make sure the body is all good and all ready to go for 2022.”