While most Melburnians sort shelter as the mercury reached 40 degrees, there was no mercy at Arden Street.

The strain was visible on the players' faces, as they sweated it out in a grueling two-hour skills session.

“It’s real hot, there’s no other way of describing it,” Drew Petrie told NMFC.com.au.

“The boys are training really hard which is good; it’s a really game-based session today, as opposed to Monday which was all about running and fitness. Today was about game-plan and ball movement.”

Pitted against one another in game-sense drills, the club’s new recruits didn’t take a backward step matched up on their more experienced teammates, with everyone desperate to impress.

But the hardest work was arguably still to come; next up was running, in the sweltering heat, with only rare cloud cover providing some relief.

Onlookers gasped, while the players took every opportunity to rehydrate with water, only to sweat it out again.

With just 38 days until the NAB Challenge, pre-season isn’t going to get any easier.