DEFENDER Daniel Nicholson has won Melbourne’s three-km time-trial at Princes Park on Friday, as the Demons continue to step up their pre-season.

Nicholson edged out big man Tom McDonald, who finished strongly in second place. Utility Rohan Bail, experienced midfield recruit Daniel Cross and two-time best and fairest winner Nathan Jones rounded out the top five.  

Defender Jack Grimes, who remains in contention to lead the club for a third successive season, said the time-trial was a solid hit out.

“It’s always good to get this three-km time-trial out of the way after Chrissy, but we had good numbers out there and the boys had a real crack,” he said.

“There were a lot of PBs and a lot of blokes beat their times from the start of the pre-season, so that was good.

“It was pretty tough conditions too, it was a bit hot and a bit windy, but the boys got it done.”

Reflecting on the pre-season so far, Grimes said second-year Demon Jimmy Toumpas had been among the most impressive. He was also pleased to see key forward Mitch Clark making progress, after a foot injury ruined his 2012-13 seasons.

“He’s (Toumpas) set himself up early with a big pre-season. He wanted to get himself really fit and we saw this morning that he ran a PB and he’s just been training really well,” he said.

“It’s been really good to see Mitch Clark back on the track. He’s been training really well and he’s just having a bit of a modified patch at the moment. But he had a really good patch leading up to Christmas, so he’s going really well.”

Grimes said former Crow Bernie Vince and ex-Docker Viv Michie were others to impress, along with another new recruit Dom Tyson, who was originally a No.3 NAB AFL Draft pick with Greater Western Sydney.

“He (Tyson) had a bit of stint in rehab to start with. He had a bit of a knee [injury], but he’s out on the track now and he ran well,” he said.

“He’s good and we keep forgetting that he’s only 20 years old, because he seems to be very experienced and very mature.”

Overall, Grimes said a genuine buzz had been created around the club this pre-season.

“It does feel like a different club. There are a lot of young guys who have come in with a lot of enthusiasm. Even the older guys like Nathan Jones and Chris Dawes have really found a new spark,” he said.

“It’s been really good training together, because there has been a lot of excitement out on the track and guys are just enjoying their footy.”