Collingwood assistant coaches Robert Harvey and Scott Burns rocked up to Essendon’s training yesterday.

The Bombers were as puzzled as anyone to see the pair taking a keen interest in the workout at Tullamarine.

The Magpies’ senior assistants, along with VFL coach Dale Tapping, certainly didn’t attempt to hide their identity, sitting close to the boundary fence on the outer wing of the Bombers’ main oval.

Football’s silly season has started earlier-than-ever with AFL clubs spying on each other in the first week of summer and barely two weeks into pre-season training for this year’s top eight.

Nathan Buckley’s forward scouts certainly abide by that be-prepared motto — they started taking notes more than four months before the Pies play Essendon on Anzac Day.

What the prying Magpies saw was returning Essendon senior coach James Hird supervise the entire list’s first main session lasting nearly two hours of solid ball work, set plays and contesting drills.

New ruckman Shaun McKernan joined the Bombers group for the first time after the delisted Adelaide big man was handed a second AFL chance in this week’s rookie draft.

The 196cm former Crow, who can also play forward, is the second back-up for departed ruckman Paddy Ryder with ex-Giant Jonathan Giles picked up during the trade period.

McKernan said his priority was to build more consistency to impact a game this second time around.

“I’ve never doubted my fitness and aggression and everything like that, but I want to improve on my one-on-one and forward stuff,’’ the 24-year-old said.

So, what was the advice of big brother Corey, a dual premiership player at North Melbourne in the 90s?

“Now that I have a second chance to leave nothing in the tank because I don’t want to be in the position I was a week ago with uncertainty about my future,’’ Shaun said.

The uninvited Magpies had flown by the time Essendon’s goalkicking great Matthew Lloyd strode into the middle of the oval at the end of the session.

Lloyd wasted no time getting stuck into the task of straightening up the latest crop of forwards in his part-time role as goalkicking mentor.

Armed with a laptop full of information, Lloyd instructed the Bomber forwards, including young gun Joe Daniher, in specific goalkicking drills.

Rebounding defender Courtenay Dempsey had kept alive Ryder’s spirit around Tullamarine by wearing his No.30 jumper at training

That fun gesture ended when the Bombers allocated all their guernseys, including the new jumper numbers to trade acquisitions Adam Cooney, James Gwilt and Giles, new draftees and rookie listed newcomers

Cooney is set to take over No.13, made famous most recently by premiership forward Michael Long whose son Jake is among the new Bomber rookies.

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