A joint training session with Essendon kicked things off 11 days ago, while the Blues took on the Pies in match simulation last Friday.
Now, they’re preparing for another hitout with the Bombers this Friday
How did the day at Essendon play out?
“It was good in the sense that we could see some of the things we’ve been working on against people that aren’t on the team and know exactly what we’re doing. A lot of the players came off at the breaks and were cooked, forgetting how hard a game is. It was nice for them to blow themselves out and remind everyone what match intensity looks and feels like.
“For us, it was nice to see them play and connect and try and implement some of the things we’ve been working on for a long time. It was more about getting our structures right. Even though our players know them and we’ve done it heaps of time at training, it was about doing it against an opposition that’s challenging our decisions.”