New coach James Hird has told the playing group to expect a gruelling training schedule when they return for the 2011 pre-season in late October.

Speaking to the playing group ahead of their fitness testing session at the State Netball and Hockey Centre on Friday, Hird told the playing group to prepare themselves for a lot of hard work as they work to re-instil some pride in the Essendon guernsey.

Essendon general manager of football operations, Paul Hamilton said there was a noticeable “buzz” among the playing group following Hird’s address.

“There was a real buzz. It is the first time that Hird has been able to speak to the group,” Hamilton said.

“He spoke at the beginning of the session and there was a real buzz in the room. The players are really excited and Hirdy outlined what he wanted from the group and what he wanted over the next four weeks.

The players underwent a beep test and had their skinfolds checked during the session and Hamilton said the Club was generally pleased with the results.

“We were really pleased. This is the first time that we have actually done this – asking the players to come back in the middle of their holidays to see where they are at in terms of their fitness,” Hamilton said.

“We thought it would be really important to see where they were. With a handful of blokes last year, they got back at the first day of training and weren’t at the level that we expected.

“We don’t expect them to be breaking any records at this stage but we just want to make sure that they are looking after themselves.