Full Steam Ahead For Gray
Robbie Gray will not need a modified program this summer
Gray was a standout at Alberton last pre-season, but missed the opening three games of the home and away season after developing back/hamstring soreness in the Power's final NAB Challenge game against Collingwood.
The 22-year-old's injury flared up again in round nine, causing him to miss two months of footy in the middle of the year.
There were calls for the club to nurse Gray through this pre-season to help prevent a recurrence of his niggling soft-tissue injuries, but Falloon said the game breaker was handling the full training load well.
"Everyone talks about Robbie a bit too much," Falloon said.
"Robbie played 20 [of a possible 22] games in 2009 and only missed a game through appendicitis and another because we rested him. He missed 11 games this year … we were pretty cautious with him, but he hasn't got as bad a body as everyone thinks," Falloon said.
"Robbie did everything we asked of him during the off-season and hasn't missed a beat yet. We'll keep a close eye on him, but he completed 95 per cent off last pre-season, so to be honest he's not on a modified program at all."
One Port Adelaide player who is on a modified program is injury-prone onballer Hamish Hartlett.
Hartlett was selected with the Power's highest-ever draft pick (No.4 overall) in the 2008 NAB AFL Draft, but has managed just 15 matches since an impressive debut against Hawthorn in round four, 2009.
The talented 20-year-old only played four games last season before succumbing to a nagging quad injury and was sent to the Australian Institute of Sport along with Gray and midfielder Travis Boak for testing late in the year.
Hartlett started his post-season break earlier than most players, allowing him to return to the club in September, and Falloon said the skilful ball winner had already completed close to four months of carefully managed training.
"Hamish has had various issues going wrong with him, some body-related and others management related, so we're monitoring him extremely closely and are working with him to make sure all parties are on the same page," Falloon said.
"Not only has Hamish completed the first month of pre-season training, but unbeknown to a lot of people he actually completed a 10-week block prior to the rest of the guys coming back and hasn't had a slip up.
"It's probably the most consistency in training Hamish has had with us since he's been here and with every week and month that goes by he's becoming more confident in his body."