There was groaning, red faces, red heads, and a hard-running winner - Nathan “Nipper’’ Gordon - at Centennial Park in Sydney today as the Swans young guns took to the track for a 3km time trial.

Pre-season training doesn’t officially start until November 8, but a group of eight listed players, plus a number of scholarship boys, pushed themselves to the limit under the watchful eye of new reserves coach Henry Playfair and development manager Stuart Maxfield.

Rookie-listed Gordon led the pack home in the 3km time trial, followed by scholarship holder Blake Guthrie, then senior-listed player Brett Meredith, who equalled his PB over the Centennial Park course.

Next home was rookie-listed Dylan McNeil, 19, who ran a PB, and Lewis Johnston who has returned to the Club with a strong resolve to have a breakthrough year in 2011.

Trent Dennis-Lane put everything into it during a tit-for-tat battle over the last 300m with scholarship holder Nathan Kenny, and they led ruckman Daniel Currie home.

Not far behind was our resident red head Gary Rohan, and then Byron Sumner.

The time trial gave elite performance coach Rob Spurrs plenty of information about where the boys are at before they get stuck into the hardest phase of pre-season training in November.

After a quick rest, the 3km time trial was followed by six laps of a 350m course, and then another six laps of a 200m course, before some interval running.

There were a few sick-looking boys by that stage. “It was pretty tough. I had a good battle with one of the scholarship kids in the last 300m of the 3k which sort of wrecked me a bit and I struggled a bit in the rest of it,’’ Dennis-Lane said.

“My goal over the pre-season is to get a lot fitter, and also stronger as well. Just overall improvement in all aspects!’’

Rohan said it was a bit harder than running with his younger brother Ash back home in Cobden. “I thought I was going ok till I got out there today and had to push myself against those boys,’’ Rohan said.

Gordon, 20, continued the great form on the running track that saw him at the front of the pack for most of the drills in the last pre-season. He went on to have a great season in the Swans reserves and was temporarily elevated to the senior list.

Nipper, as he’s known, is ready for another big pre-season. “It was a good session today for us younger guys, who have to come back three weeks before the older guys,’’ Gordon said.

“For first day back I thought I did pretty well. You look forward to coming back but as soon as you are running up those hills or in the last lap of the 3k it is not a good place to be!’’

Brett Meredith is determined to improve on season 2010 and started well today. “Last year I had a few injuries so it was hard to start the pre-season in great form but this year I’m in better shape,’’ Meredith said.

“I’ve had a couple of tough years with injuries so it is really important for me to have a good pre-season. I was pretty happy with how I went today.’’

McNeil said he was rapt to run a PB. “It’s important to come back and show them that you’re keen and looking for a big season and make a good impression first up,’’ McNeil said.

“The competition is fierce. Lewis Johnston was talking it up today before the 3k time trial and said he was going to beat me so it was good when I ran past him!’’

As for Johnston, he was happy to have improved from a year ago. “I knocked off about 40 seconds from the start of last year, though I’m still 10 seconds off what I wanted today,’’ Johnston said.

“It is definitely my goal for next season to play a senior game. I feel fitter, stronger … and hopefully this season is my season. I feel so much more confident this pre-season, than last.’’

Players will now return in stages, with 1-3 year players all back on November 8, 4-7 year players back on November 15 and the rest back on November 22, apart from Adam Goodes, Jarrad McVeigh, Kieren Jack and Tadhg Kennelly, who are playing International Rules.