SOUTH Australian coach Darren Berry and Port Adelaide counterpart Ken Hinkley today united in collective grief over fallen warriors Phillip Hughes and John McCarthy.

Hughes’ devastated Redbacks teammates trained at North Adelaide where the Power were also conducting pre-season sessions.

It was the first Redbacks training since Hughes passed away last Thursday from a head injury sustained two days earlier while batting against New South Wales in Sydney.

Port Adelaide chief executive Keith Thomas has already offered SACA the full gamut of club resources and trauma expertise that saw the club successfully deal with death of McCarthy who died on a post season trip to Las Vegas in 2012.

Hinkley and Berry connected in an early morning session before the Redbacks prepared to depart en masse for Hughes’s funeral in Macksville on Wednesday.

For Port Adelaide, it was the full squad’s first return to training.

Veteran Kane Cornes blitzed his teammates in the 3km time trial.

The 31-year-old, due to play his 300th match next season, proved he had lost none of his renowned running power with a devastating physical performance.

Young key defender Tom Clurey and half-back Sam Colquhoun — coming off a knee reconstruction — backed up their strong runs when the 1-4 year players returned two weeks ago by finishing second and third.

Originally published as SA coaches united in grief