West Coast recruit Jack Viney says he couldn’t have handled remaining in Victoria while his new teammates trained, and that is why he left his family behind and travelled across the country for the opening day of pre-season training.

Viney wasn’t required to be at West Coast training until November 23 but was among a small group of experienced Eagles who joined the younger players for the first day of the club’s pre-season.

Jake Waterman, Elliot Yeo, Brady Hough and Deven Robertson also started their pre-seasons early, but it was the sight of Viney doing extra running after the squad had finished training which showed how hungry he is for success.

Viney played only one game for Melbourne last season due to Achilles and back injuries, but he moved freely on Monday, and his leadership was evident throughout the morning.

Having been traded to West Coast last month, the 32-year-old said he’d been determined to start life as an Eagle on day one.

“I think I would have had FOMO (fear of missing out) if I was just sitting at home in Melbourne, so I definitely wanted to get over here and get amongst it,” he said.

“Even personally, missing so much footy last year, I’m just keen and hungry to get into training and put in some hard work. It was a no-brainer to come over and start early, and also build those relationships.

“I’ve got the young family back in Melbourne. While they’re over there, I can spend a bit more time really entrenching myself here at West Coast.”

Viney had a fantastic career as a Demon as he followed in the footsteps of his dad Todd.

Todd Viney captained Melbourne and was selected in their Team of the Century. Jack then added to his family’s legacy at Melbourne by playing 238 games for the club, being appointed captain and helping them to win the 2021 premiership.

West Coast are hoping he can add leadership and experience to their young team as they look to rise up the ladder. His Melbourne teammate Trent Rivers wasn’t at training on Monday, but he will also add strength to the line-up.

Their arrivals follow Liam Baker, Jack Graham and Brandon Starcevich moving to West Coast as premiership players in recent seasons.

Viney was joking with Harley Reid at the start of training; he spent time teaching Bo Allan about the techniques of winning ground balls, engaged in discussions with Tom McCarthy and coach Andrew McQualter, then took photos with fans at the completion of the session.

While he has achieved plenty throughout his career, Viney said walking into a new club still had him feeling on edge.

“It kind of felt like the first day of school,” he said.

“I was nervous but excited at the same time and making lots of new friends. I rocked up, didn’t quite know where to go but got pointed in the direction of the changerooms where I quickly met some of my new teammates.”

Now that he is an Eagle, Viney will wear the number 15 vacated by retiring premiership forward Jamie Cripps. He wore number seven throughout his entire career as a Demon.