WARRNAMBOOL'S leaders are taking a hands-on approach to training as the club emerges from a coronavirus-enforced slumber.
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Blues coach Matt O'Brien said they were half-way through a pre-Christmas training block he hopes will set the tone for season 2021.
It comes after the 2019 preliminary finalist was denied a chance to improve on that standing with the Hampden league season falling victim to pandemic restrictions.
O'Brien believes Warrnambool's shared approach will help it push for finals again.
"Darcy Graham has been running the fitness, Jye Turland has been doing a bit of skill work, Sam Cowling, Ben Parkinson and Timmy Hunt have been looking after some game simulation, so we're sharing the load around a bit between the leaders," he said. "Dan Weymouth is in there as well."
The returning Jason Rowan, back in Navy Blue after a stint with Merrivale, is providing another voice.
"He knows most of the people there, his attitude to training is first-class and he's just a natural leader," O'Brien said of the multiple century goal-kicker.
"He talks to all of the younger players and gives them tips, leads by example. He's a good communicator and has a wealth of footy knowledge."
Rowan has brought versatile tall Rob Bright back to Warrnambool too.
O'Brien said Bright, whose marking has been a highlight on the training track, might play alongside Rowan in the Blues' forward 50.
They are the club's two recruits but midfielder Darcy Graham is fresh after overcoming a serious knee injury.
He was expected to play in 2020 but O'Brien said the extended break could work wonders for the running machine.
"Darcy would have played this year. He did make an extraordinary recovery from that knee, a lot quicker than the doctors had thought but it (having another year off) may be a blessing in disguise, we'll probably never know," O'Brien said.
"His fitness condition at the moment is absolutely outstanding."
Three youngsters - Liam Bidmade, Joel Reinheimer and Sam Morgan - have impressed O'Brien too.
"Liam has been really impressive in the contested work. He's Mitch's brother," he said.
"He is good in close. He is a classy left-footer with a bit of speed.
"He's not quite as tall as Mitch but he might be a shade faster."
Reinheimer is also a "classy left-footer" while Morgan has recovered from a knee injury.
The Blues' base, Reid Oval, is undergoing a multi-million dollar redevelopment.
It means training has been at various venues - Deakin University, Warrnambool College and the old hockey field at Albert Park.
They will complete 10 sessions over five weeks and are "setting a fitness task for the weekend for guys who aren't playing cricket" too.
O'Brien said it was easier to plan training with contact drills now permitted for adult sport as Victoria edges towards normality following the virus' second wave.
"The relaxing of those protocols, getting the whole group together and not having to be conscious of contact just frees us up to do that game-sense stuff which is the most enjoyable," he said.
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