NAB Cup countdown: Geelong and Port Adelaide

WE continue our look at how each team is progressing in the lead-up to their first pre-season match with insight into the preparation of Geelong and Port Adelaide.

GEELONG

NAB Cup round one match: Geelong v Melbourne, Skilled Stadium, Saturday  February 16, 3.40pm AEST (Fox Sports).

Toyota AFL Premiership season round one match: Port Adelaide v Geelong, AAMI Stadium, Thursday, March 20, 8.45pm AEST (8.15pm local time) (Channel 7)

AFL Telstra Community Camp: Gold Coast, Wednesday, February 6 – Saturday, February 9.

The Cats adopted a low-key approach up north, beginning with a training session and clinic at Broadbeach on Wednesday and including school and community visits on Thursday morning and afternoon.

The squad returned to Melbourne on Friday and held an intra-club match on Saturday at Skilled Stadium.

Medical room: Of most concern to Cats fans is the health of important backman Matthew Egan, who is still troubled by the foot fracture that kept him out of last year’s Grand Final.

His pre-season was disrupted in early February when he required an operation to remove one of the three screws previously inserted to stabilise his broken navicular bone.

Matthew Scarlett will also miss the first round of the NAB Cup after undergoing a minor knee arthroscopy in the last week of January with Travis Varcoe also unlikely following a tonsillectomy.

Pre-season bolter: Tom Hawkins was already a massive unit when he arrived at the club, but appears to have really benefited from a full pre-season and looks set to add to the nine games he played in his debut year.

Veteran watch: Darren Milburn might be the oldest player on the Cats’ list, but he shows no signs of slowing down as he nears his 31st birthday in April.

He has signed a new two-year deal with the club and revealed in a recent interview with gfc.com.au that he was still completing the entire pre-season program and was happy to do so.

Position battle: Most positions across the ground are filled by hardened premiership players who won’t be under much threat from younger Cats, but small forward does loom as an intriguing spot in 2008.

Mathew Stokes and Shannon Byrnes are the incumbents, but excitement machine Travis Varcoe will be pushing hard, while the club has high hopes for the as yet untried Nathan Djerrkura.

Club's word: Having started their pre-season campaign later than nearly every other club, the 2007 premiers look set to use the NAB Cup to have a look at some of their younger players, with more experienced premiership players eased back into the action.

"Seeing as how we started a few weeks after everyone else in pre-season [I think] we’ll be using it for a bit of fitness, [but] when you’re in a football game you don’t choose to lose at all so we’ll be trying to win," Joel Corey said on the NAB Cup.

“Training is always hard and you’re always trying to replicate a game and you can’t really do that until you’re actually playing, so it will be nice to get out on the ground and work on getting some chemistry back and getting a kick.”

PORT ADELAIDE

NAB Cup round one match: Port Adelaide v Carlton, AAMI Stadium, Saturday, February 16, 6:10pm AEST (Channel Ten).

Premiership season round one match: Port Adelaide v Geelong, AAMI Stadium, Thursday, March 20, 8:45pm AEST, (Channel Seven).

AFL Telstra Community Camp: The Power wound up a three-day community camp in Whyalla last week with a NAB AFL Auskick clinic and visits to local hospitals and aged care facilities.

The Port Adelaide boys also visited 21 schools in the region during their stay and entertained supporters with two training sessions and a forum for local coaches hosted by none other than Mark Williams.

Medical room: Vice-captain Michael Wilson is the only long-term injury concern at Alberton.

Wilson snapped his achilles tendon in the preliminary final win over North Melbourne last year, but has since got back on his bike, literally, and even competed in the open stage of last month’s Tour Down Under.

He is expected to miss the opening rounds of the 2008 premiership season.

Peter Burgoyne had minor shoulder surgery in the off-season and, when he’s given the all clear, is likely to be eased back through the NAB Cup competition.

All-Australian ruckman Brendon Lade is nursing a sore quad, but should be right for the clash with Carlton.

Preseason bolter: Exciting draftee Marlon Motlop has wowed teammates with the trademark Motlop skill and quick thinking, but it's second-year forward Robbie Gray who has everyone talking.

Gray played five games for the Power last year and earned a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination before suffering a soft tissue injury.

His forward line teammate Brett Ebert said Gray is shaping up for a break-out season.

“Robbie’s great. He’s stronger and fitter than ever before and we saw last year just how clever he is in front of goals. Robbie’s worked hard over the summer and if he can stay fit, I think he’ll be in for a big year.”

Veteran watch: Warren Tredrea rates his physical fitness as “400 percent better” than the past few pre-seasons.

The veteran forward has only missed one session of his modified pre-season and, having overcome a debilitating knee injury, is on track for a big year in the Power’s multi-pronged attack.

Vice-captain Brendon Lade said Tredrea is fighting fit.

“Warren’s trained really well. He’s got his speed and agility back and he’s lost a couple of kilos.”

“Look out for Tredders this year.”

Position battle: While Wilson was busy taking it up to the world’s elite cyclists, Norwood teammates Matt Thomas and Nick Lower were going head-to-head for the vacant position at halfback.

Thomas emerged from the break with a rippling physique and soon demonstrated the benefits of his first full pre-season with personal bests in the club’s long distance events.

Lower was denied a berth with the Power last year after cruelly injuring his hamstring while on the verge of playing his fifth AFL game.

The dedicated 20-year-old has also worked on his fitness and is a player Port Adelaide fans are likely to see more of in 2008.

Club's word: Vice-captain Shaun Burgoyne says; “There are a few senior players who have had late starts to the pre-season just in terms of their conditioning work, so I think we’ll see a lot more younger players get a go in the NAB Cup and get a chance to prove they can play at this level.”

“The guys that we saw make an impact last year like Travis Boak, Justin Westhoff and Robbie Gray are all coming into their second year and they’ll be looking to stamp their authority on a place in the team, while young guys like Marlon Motlop will be looking for their first chance.”