IN the final of a four-part series on melbournefc.com.au, assistant coach Peter Curran shares the inside word on the 2007 squad, covering all the players’ pre-season programs and what fans can expect in the season ahead.

In this edition, Peter finishes the playing list, starting with Byron Pickett:

Byron Pickett: After being an impact player for us last year before injuring his hamstring, we expect Byron to back that up and be prepared physically in 2007. Although his pre-season has been slowly coming along, it's been really important to recognize the contribution he can make for us as a half-forward/winger and sometimes pinch-hit in the midfield. The priority has been for Byron to build on the conditioning base that enables him to play that role. We're really confident that come round one, Byron will continue to have an impact. It's a really important year for him, as he's only five matches off 200 games.

Jared Rivers: After winning the NAB AFL Rising Star Medal in 2004, Jared had an average season in 2005, but responded terrifically last year and was one of our most consistent performers. He has been one of our hardest workers on the track and we're mindful of managing his training time. He is part of our spine in defence and the hallmark of his game is his courage. He certainly makes a lot of his teammates walk taller and follow his lead - it's important for us to have that.

Russell Robertson: 'Robbo' has been working on his conditioning base after spending a couple of years closer to goal. Two years ago, he had a standout year with more than 70 goals, but he has been working on his conditioning to free himself up and be able to play not just out of the goal square, but also up the ground. In his younger days, that was something he was able to do naturally, so Russell is looking to improve his versatility and play a number of options in our forward line. He certainly represents one of our most dangerous forwards. His pre-season hasn't been as restricted by knee injuries as it has been in the past so that's a positive.

Colin Sylvia: Col has had a badly interrupted pre-season. He's had a shoulder reconstruction and he's had very measured rehab, so he's not going to be in contention for round one. Once he is right, we see Colin as someone that will have an enormous impact. He's a powerful player and can kick a goal either as a small centre half-forward or as a running midfielder. Col has the ability to make an impact on the scoreboard and that's one of his great strengths. Once he’s right, I'd expect to see Colin force his way back into the side. We'll make sure he's right, because we don't want to bring him back too early.

Daniel Ward: Daniel had a pretty consistent year last season, where he was able to establish himself and generate some offensive impact from half-back. His off-season has been interrupted with injury and other issues, which he has dealt with in an extremely mature and proactive way. If that's anything to go by, it'll only make him stronger. Daniel's speed and ability to break the lines makes him a very valuable player off half-back and wing. He can give us wonderful ability to rebound the ball. He's been slow with the physical preparation, but he's now got games under his belt, which is really important.

Matthew Warnock: Until recently, Matty had been able to get some continuity in his training. He hurt an ankle in a pre-season game against Adelaide, so that's taken a little bit of momentum out of his preparation, but we see him able to play down back on some of the taller players in the league. He'll give us some depth, with the likes of Nathan Carroll and Jared Rivers. On the right match-up, he'll be able to help us out. But the important thing for Matty is for him to establish himself consistently at Sandringham and hopefully he'll provide wonderful support for us.

Isaac Weetra: Isaac was our fourth pick in last year’s draft and he has spent most of the pre-season acclimatising to the different environment, which is a fairly big change from interstate. Our expectation for Isaac is for him to become familiar with the AFL environment and establish himself at Sandringham and, at some stage, the senior Sandringham side. It's a year of learning for Isaac – he’s one of our long-term prospects and we want him to develop over the next 12 months.

Paul Wheatley: Paul has had an interrupted pre-season, which he has finally been able to get right in the past month. He may well be in line for a spot in round one. His ability to kick the ball has always been a wonderful asset to the footy team and after an interrupted pre-season, which followed on from a horrible year with injury, we're pretty confident that Paul has been able to get his body right. Once his body is right, he becomes an important, versatile player for us in the back half.

Matthew Whelan: Matty had surgery in the off-season and has been able to recover really well. He's now got a couple of games under his belt and his experience will come as a big plus when the season starts. He's such an important player for us in terms of his versatility and hardness down back.

Jeff White: Jeff has been able to develop some depth to his conditioning. There has been an emphasis on extending his ability to run, which has always been one of his strengths, but he's taken that up a notch. Jeff, along with Mark Jamar forms the vanguard of our ruck division.

Adem Yze: 'Ooze' had surgery in the off-season and he has managed to recover and play in our pre-season preparation. His great strength is that he is very dangerous close to goal and predominantly we see Adem as being able to provide some impact as a small forward. He'll also pinch-hit in the midfield at some stage during the year. He's an extremely dangerous and accomplished player.