THE START of pre-season is still threeweeks away, but the Power’s fitness are already cracking the whip at Alberton.

Fitness coach Darren Burgess and strengthand conditioning coach Chris Spinks spent the majority of this week travellingacross the country to perform spot tests on every player on the Port Adelaidelist.

“Everyone so far has been in very goodshape. It’s been a really good surprise,” Burgess said on Wednesday.

“I’m in Perth at the moment and just tested a few ofthe guys this morning and they were really good. I’m very happy with howthey’re shaping up.”

The Power’s dismal 2006 season, whichresulted in the club missing the finals for the first time in six years, was ablessing in disguise for Burgess and the playing group.

Port Adelaidecommenced its pre-season a full month before grand final contenders West Coastand the Swans and endured what was regarded as the toughest pre-season in clubhistory.

The result was a youthful, super-fit teamwith the confidence to overrun the opposition, which proved vital in thePower’s ability to claim five of their six games decided by seven points orless this season.

“We [the fitness staff] had a lot more timewith the players last year. It wasn’t necessarily a conscious decision toincrease the fitness levels dramatically,” Burgess said.

“It was more that we had the time and withmore time to train, inevitably, the players are going to get fitter. We alsorecruited some really good runners and some good, fast players, so they had thebelief they could run over teams with the right fitness base.

“We’ve got less time this year than lastyear, so that puts a lot more pressure on the boys right at the moment to comeback in good shape. If they don’t come back in good shape it will probably haveto be a harder pre-season in a shorter period of time.”

With several clubs including early 2007flag favourites Fremantle, the Western Bulldogs, Brisbaneand Carltonalready back into training, vice-captain Brendon Lade said the onus was on theplayers not to be disadvantaged by the late start.

“We know ourpre-season last year was probably the best of any club,” he said.

“We got a big head start on other clubs bywinning five out of our first six games. We know what we have to do to get backto playing that good, consistent football and that’s to get a big pre-seasonin.

“Burgo [Burgess] and Choco have laid downsome [physical] penalties if we come back not up to standard, so I think theonus is really on the group and the individual to come back in good nick.”

With the penalties believed to be theharshest ever set by the club before a break, it’s no surprise the players havestarted to filter back to Alberton.

Football Operations Manager Peter Rohdesaid the players were “itching” to get back into training.

“We're very pleased with the way the players are coming back. Training doesn't start until the 21st for the younger blokes, but I was saying to Mark (Williams) yesterday that we could've called a training session in the morning because there's so many here training,” Rohde said. “How guys come back from holidays is a good indication of how your season is going to go, and our blokes have had four weeks off and they're all itching to come back. They enjoy the flexibility [of no set sessions], but they are all coming in, training and we're waiting to get started.”