Richmond’s players can expect to endure a gruelling pre-season in preparation for the 2015 season.

The Club’s younger players returned to training this week, with the full squad, minus the new draftees, assembling on November 24.

The traditional start of the AFL season has been pushed back until early April in 2015, to accommodate the cricket World Cup, which means more time on the track for the Tigers.

“It’s just going to be full of hard work and, without giving too much away, they’re going to work harder than they’ve ever worked before,” Richmond’s Physical Performance Manager, Peter Burge, told Roar Vision.

Renew or join as a Richmond member for the 2015 season

Pleasingly, for the Club’s fitness staff, the playing list will be in relatively good health when the full squad returns.

“We’ve only had four players actually go into surgery and none of them are major,” Burge said.

“Compared to 10 last year and 13 the year before, we start in a really good position this pre-season. So, hopefully, everyone will get a full pre-season.”

VIDEO: All the action from Wednesday’s training session at the ME Bank Centre

In the meantime, the one-to-four year players are slogging it out at the ME Bank Centre, as they get a taste of what’s to come over summer.

“It’s been good to get the boys back.  I think they’ve all been looking forward to getting back into it,” Burge said.

“They’re all pretty fit and healthy, and we’re ready to go.

“Probably the first week, it’s just getting used to the football side of things again, but we’ll crank things up next week and things will start to get a bit tougher.”