The sight of Cooper Cronk back on the training track is the perfect way for any Storm fan to start 2017.
Cronk, along with captain Cameron Smith and star prop Jesse Bromwich, returned from their off-season breaks on Thursday.
The trio did not complete the full training session, instead being mainly restricted to light drills away from the main group.
However Storm fans do not need to worry, that is all normal practice for returning players these days.
“I think things have changed in my career, when I first started you’d come back to training and it was full steam ahead, you’d get straight back into it 10 years ago,” Cronk said.
“Now you sort of get drip-fed, prevention of injury, return to running, that sort of thing so it was good to get back into it.
“We will be on a modified program for the next week and a bit until our bodies adapt to full-time training.
“The other boys have been going at a rate of knots at the moment, they look sharp.”
Having gone so close to grand final success last year, the motivation is still well and truly there for Cronk as he prepares for his 14th NRL season.
Regardless of what happened in seasons past, the mercurial halfback knows that all counts for little when he puts on the boots for Storm’s season opener in Round 1.
“For me the inspiration this year is about doing your job for the members and supporters of this football Club,” Cronk said.
“With age I think you draw on different inspiration. Some people may use it (grand final losses) but for me Round 1 is Round 1, whatever we do in 2017 isn’t going to change what happened in 2016.”
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