Having had so many years where we've gone the full distance, you've really got to judge each year on its merits. We thought last year they probably needed a bit of extra time. Clearly, that made it hard for them to get into 2010, but it was necessary. We think it's now time to change it around a bit and get some work into them. They certainly have agreed to the program and I'm sure even if they're not happy with it they're totally accepting of it.
Are there going to be many other changes in Chris Scott's first pre-season at Geelong?
I'm sure there will be, although it hasn't all been put in place yet. There are new fitness staff coming in so things might change quite a bit. But we're preparing to play a season of AFL footy, so it will be fairly similar to what's been going on for the last 150-odd years. The younger guys who weren't involved in the finals campaign are already back on deck. On Thurday, November 11 we get the second lot back, then the Thursday after that we'll have the full squad together.
Have you had reports back from David Wojcinski and Travis Varcoe on how they pulled up from the International Rules Series in Ireland?
Varcoe's not all that good. He's got a bit of a shoulder problem. It was reported over there but hasn't had much coverage over here. I'm not sure exactly how it is at the minute, but we'll work it out pretty quickly.
Which players are set to impress during pre-season? Word is that highly-rated young forward Mitch Brown has shaken off his injury problems.
We're certainly very hopeful that he'll be able to get a full pre-season in and give himself a chance of playing senior footy in 2011. He's looking pretty good. He's been around a couple of years now. There are a few others who had some injury problems last year - Steven Motlop for example. It will be interesting to see how he copes with the training load. There's also Marcus Drum, who hardly played last year. We're hoping he can get on board and do a fair bit of work. Pre-season is a good opportunity for him, because we're hoping to get a fair bit out of him. We hope he can do some work and give himself a real chance next year.
How much is Brenton Sanderson's role within the coaching department going to change, given the appointment of Chris Scott?
It won't change that much, but it hasn't really been decided yet. Scotty will need to look at everyone and see where they all fit into his plans before he can make those decisions. However, Brenton will certainly be the most experienced bloke there and he'll be very much relied on. He's been a terrific Geelong fella for a long time, so we're very pleased to keep him.
You successfully used the consulting group Leading Teams during the period from 2007 to 2009, but didn't have one of their facilitators working with the club in 2010. Will that situation change next year?
Probably not, although their programs are very much embedded in what we do. We're still reviewing what we're doing in a lot of areas as the coach has only been here for five minutes, so there's no news on that at the minute.
Finally, will it be good to have a fresh feeling around the club as the boys embark on their pre-season campaign?
No doubt. All the changes mean it will be a big challenge for the players. A lot of them have been through a lot of pre-seasons, but all of a sudden this is the only one that counts. They have to prove themselves all over again.
