PORT ADELAIDE’s new senior assistant coach Michael Voss gave a press conference on Monday afternoon to discuss the Power’s start of pre-season training.

Sixteen players with four or fewer years’ experience were on hand at Alberton Oval on Monday to kick-off the pre-season.

The Power players returned to training with a fresh coaching group featuring new coaches Jarrad Schofield (midfield) and Brett Montgomery (forwards), along with Voss and Nathan Bassett (forwards) working in new roles.

Voss spoke about the benefits of having a smaller group to start with, the impact of the new coaches and whether any of the senior players might join in before they’re due to return in a fortnight.

Michael Voss on the early focus of pre-season:

“The main focus before Christmas is just to get them fit and healthy, that’s the biggest thing.

“We’ll have a few new things that we’ll try and throw at them but generally speaking at this time of the year, we just want to make sure that they’re fit, they’re healthy, they work really hard and they present themselves in a really good fashion so that when we crank it up post-Christmas with our skill work that they’re ready to go.”

Michael Voss on having just 16 players at training:

“The good thing is that it gives you a chance to experiment with a few new drills and do a few different things.

“You get to experiment a little bit with the younger players and get some good feedback and then when the main group gets back it goes to another level.”

Michael Voss on the impact of the changes in the coaching group:

“We have had a shuffle amongst the coaches and that in itself is quite new and refreshing for the players.

“The different language – having Monty and Jarrad Schofield in – the new voices, the new language, the new roles amongst our coaches, so our players will certainly feel an element of freshness amongst out coaches, that’s for sure.”

 Michael Voss on whether more experienced players might return to training sooner than planned:

“We’re quite flexible on it, it’s completely their choice if they wish to come they can.

“But we probably more encourage that they get a good spell.

“We just had a chat about it before about not feeling like the break has happened at all - it can feel like one complete year - so for our players who have been here for a period of time, it’s important that they get the rest they need.

Michael Voss on the changes at the club since the end of the 2018 season:

“What’s overwhelming for us is that we’re not happy with where we are.

“We finished out of the finals and as a result of that, change will exist – and sometimes that sits on a personnel level and sometimes that sits on the way we train, the way our coaches will be – and we’ve got a new set of coaches, roles of coaches have changed within that coaching group and with that comes an element of freshness.”

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