IN the third 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 starts with Travis Johnstone and finishes with Ricky Petterd.

Travis Johnstone: It’s noticeable that Travis has undergone a physical change and added definition to his body. He looks stronger, he's thicker across the shoulders and he's been achieving some PBs [personal bests] with his running time, which for someone who has been in the system as long as Travis is pretty significant. He has the ability to be able to become more competitive around the ball and may have an even greater impact this year. He should also be able to cope with the attention he often attracts. It augurs well for a good 2007.

Nathan Jones: Nathan has been one of the standout trainers. He has put an enormous amount of work into his game, reducing his overall body weight and trimming off a bit of his muscle mass. This has been well documented. He has great durability and endurance and is focused on cementing a spot in our on-ball brigade.

James McDonald: James' pre-season has been very consistent and he has been reasonably well managed with the amount of work he has done, given he had a longer season than most, as he represented Australia in the International Rules series. It was wonderful recognition for 'Junior', after he won the club best and fairest and gained All-Australian selection. James is now part of our leadership group, so we're looking forward to him having a greater vocal input and letting the other guys know what it actually takes to play at this level. James is one of the best role models we've got, so it's a wonderful opportunity for him to have even greater input.

Brock McLean: Brock has trimmed down over the summer, dropping four or five kilos from last year, without losing that wonderful strength over the ball that he has. He's certainly going to be pretty important in our midfield. Brock's really dedicated to improving his ability to 'gut run' and that's only going to help us in our ability to compete in the midfield. He has been elevated to our leadership group.

Brad Miller: Considering the horror year he had with injury in 2006, it's a wonderful benefit that Brad has been able to get continuity into his training and develop a fitness base; he just needs to have a few games under his belt. We're really keen to see him hold down that centre half-forward spot. Brad is very important to us when he is playing well. He may also be called upon, from time to time, to help us in defence, but he'll play mainly at centre half-forward.

Brent Moloney: Brent is another one who had a horrific year with injury and has been able to progress and establish continuity in his training. He just adds enormous depth to our midfield, so the opportunity for us to have his run and penetrating kicking in the midfield gives us greater versatility.

Shane Neaves (rookie): Shane has really impressed our conditioning staff with his application to improve and get physically better. We expect Shane will shoulder a lot of the ruck responsibilities at Sandringham and we're looking for him to develop his ruck skills. He is the second back-up in our ruck division - Shane would be someone we'd look to call on if we get a long-term injury. At the moment, he will continue to learn his craft with Sandringham and hopefully that experience will enable him to be able to take his game to the next level.

David Neitz: 'Neita' has fined down and is training lighter than in previous years. He's been managed really well and he's certainly fighting fit. David looks as fit and as athletic as at any time in his career, so it's really important for us to be able to give him the opportunity to play another wonderful season at full-forward. He's really looked after his body – it's the first time since I've been at the club that he's hasn't had a significant absence from the pre-season.

Heath Neville: Heath was seriously affected by injury issues last year and has managed to get some continuity in his training. Now in his second year, he will be looking to firmly establish himself at Sandringham and break into their senior side. If he can do that and play consistently there, it will be a good step forward for him.

Michael Newton: Michael enjoyed some productive times in Sandringham's seconds last year, his second listed season. He has been one of our slower developers but made great progress in the latter half of last season when he kicked 52 goals in the VFL reserves. That helped him generate some confidence and he was rewarded with selection in the Sandringham senior team as a third or fourth tall. We expect Michael to establish himself as a regular senior member at Sandringham. If he can do that and the opportunity arises, he may force his way into the Melbourne team. But mostly, it’s important that we see Michael establish himself in the Sandringham senior team.

Ricky Petterd: Ricky was our second draft pick in November 2006 and he has demonstrated already that he has the athleticism and agility to play at the top level. This year he'll spend a fair bit of time learning the ropes at Sandringham and establishing himself as a senior player there. The most significant thing about Rick during the pre-season was that he showed he was not lost at senior level. The expectation is that he will play half-back, wing or on-ball if he develops. He certainly has the physical attributes.