After spending the majority of the pre-season to date completing their respective rehabilitation programs in the cardio room, the trio ran laps at today’s session at Lakeside Oval.
Swans co-captain Kieren Jack said it was encouraging to see a number of senior players filtering back into training after the Christmas break.
“It’s good to see them out here,” Jack told SwansTV.
“(Goodes, Roberts-Thomson and Pyke) have been in the ‘dungeon’ doing their off-legs and it’s good to see those boys as well as guys like Heath Grundy and Sam Reid starting to get back into it again.
“We’re looking forward to them getting back out into full training and the main group is starting to grow and we’ve been getting some full-ground drills into us, so it will be nice when those boys can join us.”
Other players who also made significant improvements over the break include defenders Alex Johnson and Rhyce Shaw, as well as young midfielder Tom Mitchell.
Jack said all three players had returned to the club in the New Year in good shape.
“I was talking to Alex this morning and he’s rapt with the way his rehab is going and he’s not far away from training, which is great,” Jack said.
“Rhyce Shaw isn’t far away at all and Tom Mitchell, who had a shocking end to the year last year, is not far away.
“I saw him doing laps today and running at a really intense pace, so it’s positive for the club.”
Some of the club’s youngest players have also made an impression in the New Year, with draftees Zak Jones and Toby Nankervis catching the co-captain’s attention.
Jack said Jones, who was taken with pick 15 in last year’s National Draft, had shown plenty of competitive spirit since joining the main group, while young ruckman Nankervis’ athleticism has impressed.
“(The new players) are all doing really well and are fitting in, and I think that’s the main thing for them in this early stage,” he said.
“Zak Jones has been outstanding and Toby (Nankervis), the big fella, has really shone out on the track.
“It’s great to see these young guys coming in making an impression.”
Jack, who missed a large chunk of last year’s pre-season battling glandular fever, stressed the importance of the final training block leading into the pre-season competition, which begins on February 12.
“Pre-Christmas it’s always a hard block, but once you get Christmas out of the way you’re almost counting down the sessions until the first game,” he said.
“This year we start (playing) … in early to mid-February and we go to Coffs Harbour at the end of January too, which we’re looking forward to, so it’s not far away and we’ve got a block now where we can get some game and match drills into us and start having some practice games.
“We’re really looking forward to this next stage of our training schedule.”
