Fitness is a key component of the pre-season camp, with running playing a significant role in the schedule. Image: Isabel Gawel.

PORT ADELAIDE assistant coach Tyson Goldsack says the playing group’s tough pre-season camp on the Gold Coast is all about improving fitness and connection. 

The defensive coach is now in week three of his new role after being elevated from SANFL head coach, where he led the Magpies to their first finals campaign since 2019. 

Goldsack spoke with club media on day two of camp about how he’s tackling his new position, the gruelling camp schedule so far and how the new recruits are fitting in. 

Goldsack on the objectives of pre-season camp 
“It's multifaceted, so fitness is obviously a key component, especially with the heat up here and just trying to get to know each other. (But also) game plan sense, education, we have multiple players new to the club so giving them an understanding of what we're about as a club, how we are going to play our football and just build the connection all through that. Every chance we have to have a meal together or spend the afternoon together, we use that (to build) connection and get to know each other.” 

The players spend the week together in close quarters, getting to know each other and building connection within the group. Image: Isabel Gawel.

Goldsack on camp so far 
“Day one was travel in the morning, got here about 10:30, had a briefing for what they had to expect. Then, went out for a running session, about 10 kms worth of high speed in the heat so it was a fair test. Then a meeting last night just about the year ahead. Today was back on the track, so a big session out there and now gym this afternoon.” 

Goldsack on the new players 
“They're fitting in pretty well. The guys from other clubs that have come here, they seem to value what we stand for and have fit in seamlessly. The young boys are finding their feet, they're getting in and doing the hard yards. They're out on the track each session and just trying to learn from the best that we have here.” 

Jordon Sweet and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher are put through their paces in a running session. Image: Isabel Gawel.

Goldsack on the group’s game plan 
“We're not restarting again, we did a lot of things right last year. There's tweaks and some things that are completely brand new but…we did things fairly well, fairly often (in 2023) so we just need to do it a little better for a little bit longer and get a little bit more consistent so that's our main focus. It helps with our education that “this is still going really well, let's continue on that”, and then we can add these extra elements to our game.”  

Goldsack on his new role as defensive coach 
“I'm still getting my head around it. I had my first meeting today all about team defence and how we're going to defend other teams and where we're going to make our small gains throughout the year, so I think it was received well. They got to train a little bit of it today and it seemed to work okay and it's certainly something we can build on.” 

Goldsack on Mitch Georgiades’ ACL rehab 
“He's going well. He was up and down for the first part of his rehab but now he seems to have found his groove. He's just started some change of direction, so he'll just continually build, session after session and over time, he'll be back.” 

Goldsack on past players Matthew Primus and Tom Rockliff watching training on the GC on Tuesday  
“It's awesome, any time we get to travel and have people who are joined to the club and have been connected through the years that they've spent here is great to see. There are some young boys that would have seen them on tv playing for this club and now they've seen them in real life being part of a really good club.”