THE START of pre-season is still three weeks away, but the Power’s fitness are already cracking the whip at Alberton.

Fitness coach Darren Burgess and strength and conditioning coach Chris Spinks spent the majority of this week travelling across the country to perform spot tests on every player on the Port Adelaide list.

“Everyone so far has been in very good shape. It’s been a really good surprise,” Burgess said on Wednesday.

“I’m in Perth at the moment and just tested a few of the guys this morning and they were really good. I’m very happy with how they’re shaping up.”

The Power’s dismal 2006 season, which resulted in the club missing the finals for the first time in six years, was a blessing in disguise for Burgess and the playing group.

Port Adelaide commenced its pre-season a full month before grand final contenders West Coast and the Swans and endured what was regarded as the toughest pre-season in club history.

The result was a youthful, super-fit team with the confidence to overrun the opposition, which proved vital in the Power’s ability to claim five of their six games decided by seven points or less this season.

“We [the fitness staff] had a lot more time with the players last year. It wasn’t necessarily a conscious decision to increase the fitness levels dramatically,” Burgess said.

“It was more that we had the time and with more time to train, inevitably, the players are going to get fitter. We also recruited some really good runners and some good, fast players, so they had the belief they could run over teams with the right fitness base.

“We’ve got less time this year than last year, so that puts a lot more pressure on the boys right at the moment to come back in good shape. If they don’t come back in good shape it will probably have to be a harder pre-season in a shorter period of time.”

With several clubs including early 2007 flag favourites Fremantle, the Western Bulldogs, Brisbane and Carlton already back into training, vice-captain Brendon Lade said the onus was on the players not to be disadvantaged by the late start.

“We know our pre-season last year was probably the best of any club,” he said.

“We got a big head start on other clubs by winning five out of our first six games. We know what we have to do to get back to playing that good, consistent football and that’s to get a big pre-season in.

“Burgo [Burgess] and Choco have laid down some [physical] penalties if we come back not up to standard, so I think the onus is really on the group and the individual to come back in good nick.”

With the penalties believed to be the harshest ever set by the club before a break, it’s no surprise the players have started to filter back to Alberton.

Football Operations Manager Peter Rohde said the players were “itching” to get back into training.

“We're very pleased with the way the players are coming back. Training doesn't start until the 21st for the younger blokes, but I was saying to Mark (Williams) yesterday that we could've called a training session in the morning because there's so many here training,” Rohde said. “How guys come back from holidays is a good indication of how your season is going to go, and our blokes have had four weeks off and they're all itching to come back. They enjoy the flexibility [of no set sessions], but they are all coming in, training and we're waiting to get started.”