We’ve asked Physical Performance Manager Luke Boyd to nominate five players that have impressed him over the course of the pre-season.
Some are yet to debut, others have had multiple visits to the top of the game’s mountain, all have a point to prove when it comes to a pre-season campaign.
Coming off his second All Australian honour in 2018, Luke Breust, a three-time premiership player, could almost be excused for taking his foot slightly off the pedal as he enters his 10th campaign.
But Physical Performance Manager Luke Boyd says he has seen nothing of the sort from the club’s leading goal kicker in 2018.
“The stand out thing for Luke is that, at the age of 28, he has been able to continually improve,” Boyd said.
“His running capacity is one of those areas and he actually ran a PB in this year’s time trial.
“He still looks as dynamic as ever too which is obviously his main strength.”
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One of eight players on Hawthorn’s list to have played at least 180 AFL games, Boyd has also noticed Breust take on a greater mentoring role over the summer.
“We’ve been really impressed by the influence he’s been able to have over the young small forwards.
“He has taken the likes of Ollie Hanrahan and Dylan Moore under his wing and he’s been doing a fair bit of work with them and helping them improve – not just on the training track but also in the gym.”
