Cooper Lord spoke to the media from IKON Park on Friday to provide a pre-season update.

Settling into his second full pre-season

“Coming into my second full pre-season, it certainly brings a bit of confidence knowing that I can get through it at a high standard. Being able to play a bit last year has shown me the standard that I need to train at. So, I've just been trying to work hard and have a lot of fun too.”

Goals for 2026 and establishing himself in the midfield

“We have a very strong midfield, so at the moment I'm just focusing on how I can get to work against the other midfielders. I've been able to learn a lot off the boys in there, so I'm really just trying to work hard on my strengths and hopefully the rest comes with it.”

His friendship with Jagga Smith

“It's been pretty cool to have ‘Jags’ back out there. Obviously, he had a tough year last year, and I felt that as his best mate. We grew up together and played a lot of footy together, so being able to run around out on the field now is pretty special and we have a lot of fun doing it.

“It brings me a lot of pride to see him run around there now, just knowing what he went through last year. It was really tough for him at some stages… but he's been training at a really high level and I have no doubt he's going to do really well this year."

Travis Boak joining the Blues

“(He’s) been awesome. He's really easy to talk to and he's been really approachable in the early days he's been here. I think (he’s) going to be a great asset for not only the leaders of the Club, but us young boys coming through, and hopefully we can tap into that as best as we can.”

Will Hayward and Ollie Florent’s impact on the group

“The main thing with those two is just the amount of energy they bring, it’s been amazing, They're both really lively characters and they bring a lot of energy to the football club. That's not only on the field, but off the field as well. They're just great to be around and they really drive the standards in training. It's great having them down.”

The younger players driving the standards

“One of the main messages from a lot of the coaches this year is to not leave it up to the leaders to drive this football club. The younger crew have been trying to push the standards and not worry about (their) position in the side. If we can create that collaborative space, which I feel like we have, then it just creates a great environment.”

“Personally, I've been having great enjoyment from getting out on the track with all the boys. So, we've tried to bring that every session, and whilst they've been tough, we've had a lot of fun doing so.”