Fourth year players returned to the Club today to commence their pre-season training. Among the group was Swans midfielder Josh Kennedy, who spoke to www.sydneyswans.com.au about his first day back…

How are you feeling after your first day of pre-season training?
I was very anxious this morning, it was pretty tough to get out of bed, but I got through and am still alive…just. I was very nervous this morning, a bit more nervous probably than before a game.  You never know what they’re going to throw at you on the first day but it was good to get it out of the way and get in to it. 

Are you feeling refreshed after the break?
Definitely, I spent a lot of time at home and was able to put the feet up a bit. It went quick, but it always does I guess.

How important is it to come back to the Club with a good level of fitness under your belt?
Every pre-season, you want to improve and if you fall too far behind in the off-season, it’s hard to improve. If you can keep that solid base during the off-season and go from there, it makes a huge difference. 

Tell us what the fitness staff threw at you on your first day back?
We started at the club at 9am, and jogged down to Centennial Park, which was a good change up to training at Lakeside Oval. We did a bit of interval training, where we started with a few three-minute runs, then some 350 metre runs, and finishing with some 100 metre sprints. We were out there running for about 80-90 minutes, before doing a little bit of kicking and touch work.

We then had yoga in the afternoon, which was relaxing and something to settle the mind down, followed by a pool recovery session which was very necessary.

What key areas do you need to improve on during the pre-season?
Just my general fitness base is where I think a lot of my improvement will come from. This is the first time I’ve actually started a pre-season being able to run, so I’m excited about next year.