They say keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
And it's an approach that may help Rio Olympic champion Mack Horton become Australia's next 1500m gold medallist.
Horton took a step toward reclaiming the distance event Australia once owned by claiming bronze on the final day of the world swimming championships at Budapest.
It was the first time an Australian had been on an international 1500m podium since Horton's childhood idol Grant Hackett in 2008.
But Horton believes a training stint alongside the man who denied him 1500m gold in Hungary - Italy's defending world champion Greg Paltrinieri - will help him reignite Australia's dominance in the premier distance event.
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They may be fierce rivals in the pool but Horton considers Olympic 1500m champion Paltrinieri a close mate after they hit it off training together in Melbourne over the years.
So much so that that Paltrinieri will join Horton in Melbourne from September for a seven-month training stint.
Horton admitted it sounded strange but he hoped they would help each other so that the Australian would one day threaten the Italian distance king's crown.
"You would think we would keep more up our sleeve but we are pretty open with each other," Horton said.
The pair are so tight that they went on holiday through Europe after the Rio Games despite Paltrinieri heaping on 1500m disappointment on Horton in Brazil.
Horton may have claimed a shock 400m freestyle gold but he claimed he walked away from Rio disappointed because of his 1500m finish.
Considered a threat to his friend before the race, Horton's 1500m final time was 10 seconds off his personal best and he finished a distant fifth behind gold medallist Paltrinieri.
Horton believed he was back on track after claiming 1500m bronze in Hungary.
"It's about time," Horton said of an Australian returning to the 1500m podium.
Horton aims to become Australia's first world 1500m champ since Hackett claimed his fourth and final crown back in 2005.
Overall, Australia have won six 1500m world titles including five straight from 1998-2005.
