WHAT a year it has been for David Teague.

The Senior Coach sat down with Carlton Media to run through all things pre-season as the players prepare for the New Year break.

Here’s the first of his two-part chat.

David, with one session to go in 2019, how is pre-season tracking to date?

Pre-season has been good. The players came back in good condition: the way they’ve attacked it and approached training is something that, as a coach, you sit back and enjoy. They’ve really brought an energy and a desire to training and a desire to learn. They’re having a red-hot crack, which is what we’ve asked for.

At the very start of pre-season, you mentioned there’d be an element of ‘power to the players’ and you want them to work things out. Are they working things out?

Yes they absolutely are. We’ve thrown a lot of different challenges at them and the drills are changing constantly. There are probably some players who are missing the routine of having the same drills. The game evolves and changes every time, every situation is slightly different.

The way the players have learnt to adapt and attack each challenge has been good. There’s been some good learning, there’s been some failures but that’s okay as well. We’ve learned a lot and we hope that holds us in good stead going forward.

What has that “good learning” been?

What we’ve learnt is to be instinctive — to play what the game tells us. What that is is hard to say at times, particularly in offence. Defence-wise, it’s probably been about the strength of doing it as a group, working together and using each other to help get the job done.

What has been the main thing you’ve been impressed by?

The main thing has been their willingness to try things, to learn, to put themselves out there. We were pretty strong early to really have a crack at how good they could be: not just to be safe but to attack.

If it’s a kicking drill, go for your kicks. If it’s a decision-making drill, see what you can and can’t do. If it’s a running drill, see how far you can go, see how hard you can push yourself. If they fall off a cliff or if they fail, it’s failing being aggressive and taking the game on.

From what I’ve seen so far, we’ve had to pull training back in terms of the minutes because the intensity they’ve been training at has been really encouraging.

There were quite a few senior players who returned early for pre-season. Would that have ever happened in your playing days at Ikon Park?

I don’t know if too many senior players returned early back in my day. The off-season has changed! When I played, you did nothing and came back quite chubby and got fit — at least some of them did, I never had that luxury because I couldn’t run. The players are so much more professional now. They have a couple of weeks to switch off but after that, they’re back into slowly building themselves up.

Considering you’ve got to do the work anyway, why not do it with your teammates? I get it. If I was in that position now, I probably would come back early and do it rather than by yourself. You get to kick the footies around and be with your teammates: I love seeing our players enjoy each other’s company the way they are at the moment.

You touched on it then: what does that amount of players returning early say about the investment and togetherness of the group?

It says they want to be ready to go. They understand the importance of the team and the individual. It says they want to do it with their teammates. What it says about the group is that they’re in it together. It’s that unity, that ability to be Bound and work for each other.

At this time of year, it can become very self-centred. ‘How can I become better?’ We’ve tried to flip that — ‘how can I make someone else better?’ It’s something that hopefully our playing group continues to grow and continues to learn to help people on and off the field. It’s a quality in life that I’d love to think our players have.

I’d love to think our players would stop to help someone in the street if they were looking for directions, or if someone’s car was broken down that they’d stop and help them. That’s something that hopefully our players can instil in their lifestyles on game day.

The players are growing up before our eyes: what have you made of their development not just as players, but as people?

Our group is at a really important part of their lives. They can get into some really good football habits but they can also get into some really important life habits. You’re always learning and you’re always assessing and we’re going to make mistakes. I encourage our players to make mistakes: that’s going to happen off the field as well.

We’ll put our arms around each other and support each other. We’ll try and become the best players they can be but also the best people they can be, to leave this football club - whenever that comes - as a quality person that fits into society well. It’s going to be different for everyone but hopefully on the football field, they can learn some really good values which they translate into life.

What does the value of ‘Bound By Blue’ mean and is that what is driving the group in pre-season?

To be Bound is to care for others. It’s ‘what can I do for someone else?’ It’s putting their arms around when they need it and challenging when they need it. It’s not all about supporting: sometimes the best support you can give is to hold someone accountable and demand more because you know they can deliver.

For us, it’s our ability to get our own job done - that’s a responsibility - and  also help others get their job done, to drag them along and support them when they need it.

Stay tuned to carltonfc.com.au for part two, where David Teague speaks on his trip to Harvard, the players impressing in pre-season and his optimism for season 2020.