PORT Adelaide vice-captain Brad Ebert says his side is hungrier than ever to achieve the ultimate success in 2015, after narrowly missing out on a Grand Final appearance last year.
The Power came agonisingly close to knocking off eventual premiers Hawthorn in last season's preliminary final.
A late surge saw Port Adelaide cut a 28-point deficit to three points in the final term with Andrew Moore missing a shot on goal from the boundary with one minute remaining and Hawks skipper Luke Hodge smothering an Ebert kick in the dying stages.
The playing group hasn't forgotten what transpired last season and have their sights firmly set on going one step further this year.
"The boys are definitely hungry," Ebert said on Saturday morning.
"How the season finished off last year, everyone is desperate to keep going and keep improving that's for sure."
The Power returned to training on Saturday, a few days earlier than usual, following the Christmas break.
It was a tough first session back, with the players enduring a 3km time trial in the sweltering heat at Alberton Oval.
The smoke haze from the bushfires wreaking havoc across South Australia could be seen in the background as veteran Kane Cornes crossed the finish line first.
"They wanted us to get back early and make sure we're still fit and still going strong," Ebert said.
"The boys ran really well, it was an impressive start and hopefully we can build on it.
"A lot of other clubs probably started [pre-season] a little bit earlier and probably getting that extra week off afterwards makes you ready to get back, and get into it to make sure you're still around the mark and still fit enough to compete. I think we showed that today."
The players are no strangers to the stifling heat with the group experiencing hot conditions on their training camp in Dubai last month.
"The facilities this time were fantastic," Ebert said.
"The Nad Al Sheba [sports complex] that was really something it made the whole experience a little bit better. You know you're getting flogged and you're having a hard time there but when you're training there, it was really just something.
"Coming back, like I said, the boys are strong and in good shape. It just shows that the work we did there, and the work you do by yourself is really paying off."
