ASSISTANT coach Ben Mathews says trio Billy Stretch, Christian Petracca and Sam Frost have all continued to progress over the pre-season.

Mathews said Stretch was the standout in the first main training session at Maroochydore on Tuesday, and said Frost and Petracca had made big strides in recent times.

“Billy Stretch had an outstanding session – he was really, really good,” he told melbournefc.com.au.

“Sam Frost is really improving as a player – we feel like he’s got a lot to offer us.

“Christian Petracca – he’s been training through the midfield, which has been beneficial for him, and it’s probably his first pre-season as a midfielder, so it adds another string to his bow. We know he can play forward and impact – he can go into the midfield and consistently impact – and we look forward to that.

“So, they’re just three players who have made a strong impact on the group.”

Mathews said several senior figures had again led from the front in recent months. 

“It’s great to see some of the leaders like Maxy Gawn, Jordan Lewis and Bernie Vince having strong leadership and impact on the players around them,” he said.

“Nathan Jones has integrated back into the main group [from a calf injury] and Jack Viney (foot) will shortly. So, fingers crossed it goes well and we get a pretty healthy squad coming through.”

Although Mathews said the Sunshine Coast camp came at the right time of the pre-season, he said the players were itching for competitive matches.

“The players are ready for it, although they look forward to this camp every year. Soon after we get back, AFLX is on, and then we have the JLT [Community] Series, so it comes around really quickly and the boys are looking forward to honing their game style,” he said.  

“The climate’s really good for us. There are quite a few clubs coming up here now. The benefits of heat training, the steaminess and really working through that fatigue in the summer months – especially with the humidity up here – is really beneficial for us.

“Quite often, once you start your JLT series games, it’s really hot conditions, so getting those miles in their legs at this time of year is important. We certainly don’t want to cop too many injuries – we’ve got to manage that really effectively – but we think the humidity, the heat and the load we put the players through, and the sessions up here, sets them up for the season really well.”