It’s the season for catching up with friends and family, but it doesn’t mean Jon Griffin and his teammates will be taking a break from their preparations for the 2017 season.
 
The versatile ruckman opened up on the expectations on all Fremantle players as they take a two-week break away from the club over the Christmas and New Year period.
 
“We see it as a really important phase to prepare for 2017,” Griffin said.
 
“The program is quite tough and everyone’s expected to comply with that 100 per cent,”
 
“All the boys know it’s a really important phase. We really value it as it does prepare us well for the coming season.”
 
While the coaching group expects the players to keep their work-rate up, they also see the importance in everyone coming back refreshed.
 
“The program is a combination of everything, mainly running and weights,” Griffin said.
 
“There’s also some injury prevention strength work so we stay on top of any type of injuries or little niggles.
 
“Obviously they also give us a bit of time to check out mentally, but when we train we’re sticking to tough running sessions and weights programs.”
 
Griffin is carrying some Achillies soreness into his eleventh AFL season, and the 90-game player highlighted the importance of recovering quickly while training away from the main group.
 
“I should be back in the main group just after Christmas, I’m just nursing it along at the moment and it’s nothing serious,” Griffin said.
 
“I just really value being out there and doing as much pre-season as I can -  I know how well that sets me up for 2017.
 
“At the moment it’s just putting all of my energy into getting my body right and healthy, and everything else will just take care of itself.”
 
And with plenty of new faces coming into the club, Griffin is even more keen to get back.
 
“It’s been awesome, it’s great to have some experience come into the team and we’ve got a lot of talented young players too,” Griffin said.
 
“It’s really exciting and it gives a bit more enthusiasm and a bit more of a list, so I’m looking forward to joining them and getting back into it.”