Australia coach Justin Langer has tapped the wisdom of AFL counterparts Alastair Clarkson and Chris Fagan, who were guests of honour at the MCG on Christmas Eve.
Good friends Clarkson, Hawthorn's four-time premiership mentor, and Fagan, who has made great improvements at Brisbane in the past two seasons, were on deck at the invitation of Langer.
Clarkson and Fagan mingled with support staff and Langer as Australia conducted a pitch inspection before Monday's training session.
As the 13-man Test squad completed fielding drills and shuffled off to the nets, the three coaches came together for a long discussion in the outfield.
"It was nice to have them here," Langer said.
"I love picking people's brains. Seeing what they think of how it looks, how we're going about it.
"He (Clarkson) is a much better coach than I am."
Langer, who sits on the board of AFL club West Coast, is no stranger to the winter code that attracts bumper crowds to the home of the Boxing Day Test.
Clarkson and Fagan didn't offer much tactical advice regarding how to dismiss India superstar Virat Kohli or the pitch, but Langer has already made it clear he isn't afraid to look outside cricket's bubble in his bid to become a better coach.
Australia's decision to appoint two Test vice-captains, Josh Hazlewood and Mitch Marsh, in September after a player vote was borrowed from the AFL playbook.
Langer has previously sought advice from Clarkson, West Coast coach Adam Simpson, Australia's former hockey coach Ric Charlesworth and former Sydney Swans coach Paul Roos in recent years.
"It was like gold. I had three hours of gold with Alastair Clarkson. It was brilliant," Langer said in 2016, when he was coaching Perth and Western Australia.
"Mainly bigger picture stuff ... we have very similar philosophies, personally and collectively as teams.
"It's good to know we've all got the same problems and the same issues."
Langer watched his beloved Eagles win the AFL grand final in September on a laptop in Australia's dressing room during a tour game in Dubai.
Several West Coast players and coach Simpson highlighted Langer's influence on their premiership push.
"Justin Langer spoke to our group about spirit and it was probably the last piece for us," Simpson said.
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