MARC Pittonet is so happy to be back training, he even pulled out a blind turn during training.
And then he did it again. Really, we got it on camera.
You couldn’t wipe the big smile off of the big man’s face following what was an intense Wednesday training session at IKON Park, with Carlton’s players well and truly back in the swing of things in the first week back for the new year.
After the two-kilometre time trial on Monday, Wednesday’s session was one which “had a bit of everything” according to Pittonet, with Melbourne trading the torrential rain from early in the week with blazing sunshine.
It was a challenge which Pittonet believes both he and his teammates relished.
“I’m having so much fun,” Pittonet said.
“It’s really good to be back. We had a few weeks off over Christmas and a lot of boys were putting in a lot of work during that period: even though we were on holiday, we came back and hit the ground running.
“[Today’s] drills were the sort where you make it higher intensity than a game, so ideally you go into matches and it’s more natural to be in that state. Being able to really specifically overload what we’re trying to get after this year makes such a difference: we’re hoping to get big gains on the back of it at the start of the season.”
The name of the game for this particular session was speed on the ball.
Of course, with a side of pressure and contest. That’s a non-negotiable at this point under Michael Voss.
“I didn’t want to bring that up! That’s our identity, isn’t it? Everything is about pressure and contest for us.
“The offensive side is on the back of our contest and pressure, we’re nailing that every session. This session was about getting a bit more speed and a bit more dynamic movement with the ball.
“It was fast pace, that’s what we tried to overload today. Off the back of that, there’s fast, exciting ball movement which I think people like to see.”
It’s been a busy week for Pittonet both on and off the field, joining Matthew Cottrell, Gab Pound and Maddy Guerin as the Club’s AFLPA delegates - as well as AFLPA Board member Kerryn Peterson - at the yearly conference.
“It was a great time to spend a couple of days with the representative from both the men’s and women’s competitions to see where we can take the game from here, and grow the development of players both on and off the field.
“Every team has one or two [delegates] and it’s people that want to give back to the game, grow it not only for our generation but for the generation getting drafted now and at the grassroots level. It’s so when we leave the game, the game is in a better position.”
