Steinberg, who has been rookie listed for three years and made his senior debuted late last season, beat Dyson Heppell and Patrick Ambrose during the 400m swim, 10km bike ride and 1.5km run to win in under 25 minutes.

Teammate Cale Hooker said key defender Steinberg, with three senior matches to his credit, including the elimination-final loss to North Melbourne, had been impressive through the pre-season as he fought for a spot in the starting 22.

"Ariel's been really good the last few years and he's been training the house down this pre-season, so it's a credit to him to take it out today," Hooker said.

The Bombers had digested some words of wisdom from international triathlete Leon Griffin on Friday in preparation for the race.