From the youngest Demon to the boom recruit, find how the players wearing No.1 to No.6 are faring this pre-season ...

1. Jesse Hogan (will officially join Melbourne’s list in 2014)
There is no rush with Jesse. He’s got another 12 months to wait, but we’ve been slowly introducing him to the program. Jesse has enjoyed the competitive off legs sessions with the boys. We’re looking forward to watching Jesse compete and it’s good for him to live and learn from Mitch Clark. And now that Chris Dawes is at the club, you can see the three of them striking up a strong relationship. Jesse has built nicely into the pre-Christmas period, so we’re looking forward to watching him grow next year. – Leigh Brown

2. Nathan Jones
After claiming the 2012 Keith ‘Bluey’ Truscott Memorial Trophy, Nathan came back from the pre-season break with some foot soreness, which limited him early in the pre-season. However, since overcoming that, his attitude, leadership and performance on the training track has been outstanding. Nathan continues to be one of the strong leaders of the Melbourne Football Club. – Brian Royal

4. Jack Watts
Jack’s had a very good summer, but he recently got sick and missed a week. His fitness levels have improved significantly and his body weight and strength have also come along. He did very well at the Darwin camp, but he got some leg tightness, so he didn’t do a couple of sessions leading into Christmas. But overall, it’s been a very positive pre-season for him. – Jade Rawlings

5. Jimmy Toumpas
Like our other first-year players, Jimmy has been eased into the program. But the small glimpses we’ve seen from him so far on the park have been very impressive. We like it when he has the ball in his hands, as he has time and is a very good user. – Brian Royal

6. Chris Dawes
It’s been a bit frustrating for Dawesy. After arriving from Collingwood during the trade period, he’s had a few niggles. He’s worked through that and is up and about running now. He will do all of the football training as soon as we start again in the New Year. Chris has fitted in really well and his leadership, similar to Shannon Byrnes, has been very good off the field for the forward line. He’s been really good for our younger tall forwards, who have been able to learn from his experience. So he’s been fantastic in that area. – Leigh Brown

Pre-season update: Grimes to Tapscott
Pre-season update: McDonald to Sellar
Pre-season update: Strauss to Tynan
Pre-season update: Sylvia to Blease
Pre-season update: Viney to Clark