The Collingwood players and coaches will enjoy four football-free days as they enter their first bye weekend of 2014.

They will then return to the club on Sunday as they ramp up their preparations for their next match against Adelaide on Thursday 15 May.

“It’s been a big six or seven weeks obviously, and we’ve been training quite consistently over those last seven weeks,” High Performance Manager Bill Davoren explained.

“One of the priorities is recovery. It’s an opportunity for blokes to have a bit of down time.

“We trained this Tuesday and had a pretty good session on Wednesday. We get them back here on Sunday and start the preparation for the Adelaide game.

“They’ve got four days away. I know a number of them are going away and we’re sort of encouraging some down time and some time away from football, but at the same time they’ve got some guidelines around movement and training that they need to do over the next couple of days, but it’s been principally about recovering from the last seven weeks and getting them both physically and mentally sharp to start again for the next eight week block.”

The team has had only one weekend off since 22 February, in which time it has travelled to Wangaratta, the Gold Coast and Sydney.

Davoren says the week off provides the players and coaches with the opportunity to switch off before reloading for the next phase of the season.

“Our first priority is giving them the opportunity to relax and enjoy their time this weekend.

“They deserve it. They’ve worked really hard and done everything that I’ve asked of them.

“It’s a good opportunity for a mental release and a mental break but obviously there’s still a need for some time for the preparation.

“We’re back at it Sunday when we start the preparation for Adelaide.”

The need for the mental release is not lost on Davoren who, like all players, coaches and fitness staff, is a part of the relentless pursuit of success all year round.

“This is a 24-7 industry and it’s very easy to get caught up in that. When you look at it, it’s an industry that runs for 44-45 weeks a year. We run off pre-season and after Christmas you run pretty straight into round one and it’s on.

“I’m really positive about the two byes. I think it’s a really good thing for the players.

“It’s a game that asks so much physically and the bodies are so banged up at times so this is a chance to refresh and get their bodies right but also to mentally just have some down time and get away. I think that’s healthy.

“We’re looking at it as a positive. Certainly on Sunday we’ll be back and train with intensity with the aim to be right for next week.”