Following a season where he didn’t quite reach the heights he set in his debut year, Jack Lonie went to work in the off-season. He ran and he swam, and when he returned for the start of the pre-season with the rest of the Saints’ first to fourth-year players, he made an impact with his improved endurance. He hasn’t looked back since.

Stuck at Sandringham across the back half of 2016, Lonie fought his way back into Alan Richardson’s 22 for the final two games of the season, where he finished in form to build some momentum into the summer and into 2017.

After playing 17 games in an eye-catching first season, the Seaford product added 10 in 2016 but only three after Round 8. He knows not everything goes to plan, but Lonie says the lessons learned last year will hold him in good stead moving forward and provide him with a reference point when the going gets tough in the future.

“At the end of the year I had to look back at my season and it wasn’t where I’d like it to be, but it was a good learning curve and something I’ll keep referring back to when I need a bit of motivation or a bit of spirit to get me through,” Lonie told saints.com.au on Tuesday morning.

“This year there’s even more competition for spots, so I’ll have to be on my game to play each week and if I’m not, someone else will take my spot so it’s important to build a good foundation through the pre-season and build confidence too.

"To play two games where I was pretty happy with my games, that gave me a lot of confidence heading into the off-season and the start of the pre-season that I can play at the level and perform and play for the team; that will drive me at the start of the NAB cup and give me confidence going forward."

After a trip to Europe in September with a handful of teammates, Lonie returned home and rolled his sleeves up. He followed his running and weights program meticulously, as well as adding swimming to his regime every second day to help build his aerobic capacity before the pre-season rolled around again.

“The off-season was really important for me to set a good base, rather than coming back behind the eight ball I wanted to make sure I was in front of that. I did a lot of swimming and stuck to the running program the club gave me, which will hopefully hold me in good stead," Lonie said.

Having been managed through his maiden pre-season like all first-year players, and gradually exposed to more in his second summer, Lonie has been let off the leash this time around, where he has lapped up the increased workload.

“This is probably my first full pre-season where I’ve really done everything; it’s obviously much harder but at the same time it’s a bit more fulfilling come the end of the week when you’ve punched out three good sessions and you’re feeling good,” Lonie said.

“And that’s where I reckon I’ve improved as well, being constantly out on the track and getting everything done. I haven’t missed a session yet so hopefully I can continue that throughout the whole pre-season.”