“We did a little bit of marking [drills], and [drills] about their feet movement, and reading the flight of the ball and finishing that play.

“Then we had [fellow GIANTS Assistant Coach] Jeremy Laidler and [VFL Head Coach/AFL Development Coach] Wayne Cripps doing a little bit of kicking and getting them used to kicking the ball in a different way.

“They love playing with our footy, just as we would if we were out there mucking around with theirs, and it was really beneficial for both and it’s a good way to continue the ongoing relationship.”

While Tuesday’s session was largely focused on helping the Bulldogs, Hart said the GIANTS took every interaction between the clubs as an opportunity to improve.

“You go there looking for little pieces of advice or drills or the way they coach, as much as what we give them, just to make us better and to make our program better,” he said.

“Hopefully we added something to them as well, but the more we can cross-pollinate and use it for ‘PD’ [personal development] for ourselves, as much as their coaches, it’s a great relationship for us.”

Hart said there was one particular skill the GIANTS could improve on thanks to the Bulldogs.

“It’s [about improvement] across the whole footy program, but definitely their tackling,” he said.

“Obviously it’s a different type of tackle but some of the techniques they have are really beneficial for us.

“Their communication I think is really strong across the board as a team [as well] so if we can take something from that [then that’s great for us].

“If they’ve got things we can take from them we’ll certainly use them.”

Having returned to training on January 8, the GIANTS will embark on their annual pre-season training camp next week in preparation for their Community Series clash with the Gold Coast Suns in Canberra on Thursday, February 29.