G'DAY Hawks fans, get ready for another season. I thought in my first Tuesdays with Todd column for 2007, I'd talk about our pre-season period.

We started training on 17 October and had a focus on game plans and structures. Every Wednesday we had an 18-on-18 scenario. They weren’t full-on practice matches, but we rehearsed players with a view to giving them a clear understanding of what's required for the season ahead.

We adjusted reasonably quickly to the tempo of Sunday's round one NAB Cup match, which was a positive sign.

The club was really happy with our first-up win against Melbourne – a finalist from last year – and it was great to see us come home strongly in the final quarter. We're really looking forward to heading down to Tasmania and taking on Carlton this weekend.

Here is a brief snapshot of how the players fared over the pre-season:

Max Bailey: We lost Max with a knee reconstruction in a simple accident, which was a real blow. We'll miss him, but he'll get a chance to really develop his body – a bit like Beau Muston did last year – and he'll come back bigger and better for 2008.

Chance Bateman: Had an outstanding pre-season after representing Australia in Ireland last October-November.

Grant Birchall: Has been very unassuming in the pre-season. He's got bigger and stronger – he's deceptively big – and I think he's a few centimetres taller than Trent Croad, although Grant plays a more running style of game. His composure is really good and he's really trained well.

Tim Boyle: Boyle has had a solid pre-season. He has finally overcome his leg issue after a bad break and he's back in good condition. He is starting to look like a force to be reckoned with up forward. We expect big things from him this year.

Campbell Brown: He had a late start to training because of a fractured hip sustained while playing for Australia against Ireland, but he's now in very good shape.

Robert Campbell: We were very measured with Robbie's pre-season. We wanted to give him a spell at the end of last season after he played every match in 2007 and managed just one game the season before, due to his knee injury. We gave him an extended break just to make sure his knee had truly mended. But he's up and going now and he played on the weekend, so he's set for round one.

Tim Clarke: Always a great trainer, Tim has had a solid pre-season.

Shane Crawford (veteran – outside list): Has been low-key, but has done the majority of work and is now starting to peak at the right time. He's timed his run beautifully with his experience.

Trent Croad: Had post-season surgery and his pre-season program has been designed to have him ready to play late NAB Cup or round one.

Zac Dawson: Has got a lot stronger. He's probably put on four or five kilograms and trained for about 80 per cent of the pre-season, which is a big step up from previous years.

Ben Dixon (veteran – outside list) : Similar to Croad, Dicko had post-season surgery and his pre-season program has been designed to have him ready to play late NAB Cup or round one.

Beau Dowler: Has got stronger and fitter through his last eight weeks at training. Beau's starting to play some good football and he'll be pushing for a chance in the seniors.

Xavier Ellis: Has had an interrupted pre-season, but we're hoping to get him up and running before round one. Had a minor hamstring injury a few weeks back, but is on track to push for selection late NAB Cup or round one.

Lance Franklin: Has had a consistent pre-season. He's a great runner and athlete, but has also got stronger.

Stephen Gilham: 'Gilly' is 'Mr Professional'. He does everything right. His nickname was 'Splinter' when he was at Port Adelaide, but bit by bit and year by year, he's managed to build up his body. Now he's a strongly built, reliable defender. Consistent and doesn't miss a training session.

Brent Guerra: Has been good during pre-season training and hardly missed a session.

Luke Hodge: Another one who has had a consistent pre-season and been great on the track with the younger players.

Danny Jacobs: Had post-season surgery and his pre-season program has been designed to have him ready to play late NAB Cup or round one.

Josh Kennedy: Kennedy has been good. He came to the club at 95kg, which is monstrous for a kid at 18, but he's really trimmed down. He is super strong and really durable. Josh has done all of the training and handled the workload really well.

Rick Ladson: Has had a really good pre-season. He's been in the system for a while now, but has really stood up and taken the next step.

Jordan Lewis: Has really stepped up in his third pre-season. His body is in really good condition.

Matt Little: We've seen a significant improvement in Matt during the pre-season, now in his third year with the club.

Ben McGlynn: Aerobically, he is one of the powerhouses at the club and has had a really good block of training over the past month.

Sam Mitchell: Once again, has had an outstanding pre-season.

Jarryd Morton: Has trained well and is another one whose training program has been designed to adjust him to the rigours of AFL.

Garry Moss: As with the other draftees, we have eased him into the pre-season program of an AFL club.

Tom Murphy: Another in his third pre-season, Tom has also impressed on the track.

Beau Muston: Has had a consistent pre-season. He really benefited physically from having 12 months out of the game last year – although he has now missed two seasons. He has really got his body stronger and fitter, while he has handled the workload really well.

Michael Osborne: Is doing well in training after suffering a foot injury last season. Another who is scheduled to appear late in the NAB Cup or in round one.

Brent Renouf: Along with Morton, Brent has done the most training of the November draftees. He has impressed during the pre-season.

Jarryd Roughead: He's really developed well with his general aerobic fitness. He's a powerful young kid and has worked really hard on his preparation.

Brad Sewell: Has been training really well. Brad had a really consistent pre-season and is in very good physical shape.

Joel Smith: Has worked really hard on his power training. Pound for pound, he'd be one of the strongest guys we've got. He's in good condition.

Simon Taylor: Has had his best pre-season since joining us. He's done 85 per cent of the training, whereas in the previous two years he's not been able to do 50 per cent. His strong summer was reflected in his performance on Sunday, when he showed he was a lot fitter and stronger. He has adjusted really well.

Mitchell Thorp: Along with the other draftees, Mitch played a lot of footy last year. So, since arriving at the club we've made sure we've looked after their bodies and not overloaded them with training.

Josh Thurgood: Josh has trained really well, got stronger and put on a little bit of weight. He has been durable during the pre-season.

Travis Tuck:He decided to stay back at the end of the 2006 season, instead of going on a post-season trip. He got really fit and now has the rewards from it. Travis has been training really well and will probably get a chance in the NAB Cup at some stage.

Richie Vandenberg: Richie started the pre-season off well. He always looks after himself – with his diet and preparation – and is a great leader on the track.

Mark Williams: Mark has been a consistent trainer and is now probably in the best condition of his career. He's a bit lighter than what he has been, so he'll be able to play up the ground a little bit more in wing/half-forward roles.

Clinton Young: He had a delayed start, but has still done a high percentage of training and we look forward to seeing him dashing down the field this season.

Rookie List

Brett Collins: 'Collo' has been eased into his pre-season training as he adjusts to the rigours of AFL footy.

Sam Gibson: Has trained really well. He has an outstanding work ethic and will push for a pre-season game.

Luke McEntee: A developing ruckman, Luke dominated in the Box Hill internal trial on the weekend, so he's starting to progress nicely.

Matthew Suckling: Matthew is another who has been eased into his pre-season training as he adjusts to the rigours of AFL footy.