PORT Adelaide begins its 2009 campaign with 13 new faces and a vacant captaincy

Arrivals
Onfield: Josh Carr (Fremantle), Jason Davenport (Geelong), Hamish Hartlett, Jackson Trengove, Matthew Broadbent, Jarrad Redden, Mitch Banner, Glenn Dawson, Wade Thompson (rookie), Danny Meyer (Richmond/rookie), Matthew Martin (rookie), Daniel Stewart (rookie) and Jesse Laurie (rookie)
Off-field: Brett Duncanson (as President), Mark Haysman (CEO), Cameron Falloon (fitness coach from the Western Bulldogs) and Andrew Lulham (strength and conditioning coach)

Departures
Onfield: Michael Wilson (retired), Hugh Minson (retired), Adam Thomson (Richmond), Greg Bentley (delisted), Nathan Lonie (delisted), Damon White (delisted), Adam Cockshell (delisted), Fabian Deluca (delisted), Ryan Williams (delisted) and rookies Ryan Willits, Gavin Grose and Daniel Boyle (all delisted)
Off-field: Greg Boulton (President), Dan Comerford (fitness coach to the Brisbane Lions), Daniel Healy (development coach to North Adelaide) and Chris Spinks (strength and conditioning coach to Fremantle).

Pre-season training started: Thursday, October 23

Medical room
“Chad Cornes, Michael Pettigrew and Warren Tredrea are all in a similar boat. They are all pretty much doing full training on their legs, but we’re minimising and modifying contact with them at the moment. They are all on track or ahead of schedule. Their strength training is going well, their running is going really well and their skills too, so they’re travelling well.

“Peter Burgoyne is progressing really well too and he’s been running for over a month. He had very minor ankle and shoulder surgery at the end of last season, but he’s fine now. Steve Salopek (achilles) has just started running and, at this stage, is on track and hasn’t had any interruptions to the program. He is probably the only player in any doubt for round one”

- Fitness coach Cameron Falloon

Who's burning?
Lightning quick onballer Nathan Krakouer has impressed everyone at Alberton in the first eight weeks after a disrupted year with injury complaints and homesickness. Krakouer, who weighed less than 70kg on arriving at the club, has already stacked on 4kg under the new fitness program and is preparing for a big 2009.

Young duo Travis Boak and Paul Stewart are two other players the Power have earmarked for strong performances next year.

Pre-season training camps
The Power’s trip to the Flinders Ranges was shrouded in secrecy, but they got what they expected - three days of physically and mentally demanding work.

Pre-season training overview
“From talking to the players, coaching staff and people around the club, one of the big things they’ve identified is a need for stronger and more powerful bodies. We’re looking to improve strength and power, not only in the gym, but also in their running, so they don’t get pushed off the ball and can play better contested football.

“We’ve thrown in a few extra weights sessions and that’s not just to do weights for the sake of doing weights. It’s to be a bit more individual with the players.

“The pre-season is a really good opportunity to work on players’ deficiencies and if you’ve got everyone in the one bracket doing the same thing, you never really get a chance to develop specific qualities.

“And with the extended pre-season the club has this year, we’ve been able to get a lot more work in pre-Christmas and that will give the coaches a lot more flexibility after Christmas.”

– Fitness coach Cameron Falloon

What coach Mark Williams says
“Cameron Falloon is a star recruit as head fitness coach, having done the same role at the Western Bulldogs for the past two years, and time at Geelong as strength and conditioning coach. The players adopted his approach and program instantly, so we couldn’t be happier with our start.

“The impact of the return of a tough player, a former leader and premiership player in Josh Carr should not be underestimated either. The players tell me, and I see it, they can’t help but walk a little taller when he’s around.

“We go into 2009 with a new president, a new CEO, a new fitness coach, a lot of new players, a new captain and a new leadership group. We know we’re going to be a young list, but we also know that with the right players on the track, we’re going to get some great results.”

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.