An early start to his fitness campaign during an off-season European break has helped prepare Dan Hannebery for a big attack on this pre-season.

Hannebery posted an impressive run in his first three-kilometre time-trial for the pre-season at the beginning of December, which was just short of his personal best time.

After experiencing an injury-interrupted 2014 season, which saw the midfielder miss six matches with an ankle syndesmosis injury, the 23-year-old said he made fitness his number one priority during the off-season break.

“I’m feeling pretty fit at this time of year,” Hannebery told SwansTV on Tuesday.

“I think I had a good build up and in my off-season I really made it my plan to come back in top condition and I probably haven’t done that in a couple of years.

“The fitness guys gave me a good three-and-a-half to four weeks off, which was handy after a full season and after having a few injuries as well.

“But in the last week of my Europe travels I decided to knuckle down a little bit more and spend a few days in England with my cousin.

“I had a good, solid week of training over there before I came back to Sydney, which held me in good stead.”

While his commitment to fitness at the end of his break played an important role in his first-up performance on the track, the arrival of a host of new draftees has also helped spur Hannebery to achieve his best.

The Swans’ number four said draftee Jack Hiscox, who holds an 800-metre national title, added another dimension to the club’s competitive running drills and has challenged him to step up his efforts.

“Certainly he (Hiscox) jumped out of the blocks in that three k-er and he was flying,” Hannebery said.

“You could sort of see how far ahead he was and what you could certainly aspire to.

“The other day he also drove a fair few of the boys along when we were doing 300-metre runs and I think ‘Macca’ (Jarrad McVeigh) had a go at (catching) him and I had a go at him, so we’re all sort of working together to try and knock him over.

“I think if someone who is that good of an athlete can certainly help to drive the group, it helps us with our running, and certainly the other day all the boys were having a go at him, so it was good to have him there.”

It’s not just Hiscox who has caught the attention of Hannebery and the senior group, with fellow draftees Isaac Heeney, James Rose and Abe Davis all showing glimpses of their best in the pre-Christmas sessions.

Hannebery said Heeney in particular had been a stand out, and backed him to challenge for a spot in the senior side in 2015.

“I’ve seen a little bit more of Isaac Heeney and have done some one-on-one running with him and some wrestling,” he said.

“He had me covered for a few of them, but I had him covered for the next few.

“He’s a good young kid and he works really hard and I can certainly see him slotting into the midfield at some stage.

“He’s a big kid for an 18-year-old and I’ve really been impressed with how fit he is.

“I could see someone like Isaac fitting straight into the team if he has a good pre-season and sticks to his role, so he is someone who has really impressed me.”

Reflecting on the first three weeks back at training, Hannebery said he felt the entire squad had stepped up the intensity, and were determined to produce a strong season after a disappointing end to 2014.

On a personal note, the 2010 AFL Rising Star said he hoped to produce a more consistent 2015 after a slow start last season.

“Individually I think it’s important just to have a consistent pre-season and start the year off a lot better than I did last year,” Hannebery said.

“From there, I just need to play my role and also be consistent for the whole year.”