Essendon great Hird was hospitalised last week after an overdose. He was taken to Cabrini Hospital before being transferred to another facility.

Speaking on Monday at the AFLPA induction camp for first-year players, Marsh said the union was available to help Hird – just as it was there for any former player.

"We've reached out to someone close to James to offer our support. If we can help James or his family in any way, we will," Marsh said.

But despite criticism of supposed inaction from the AFL with respect to Hird's plight, Marsh said it would be inappropriate to comment on the league's actions, as he was not privy to what was happening behind the scenes.

Marsh's words came as the union educated its new crop of members on the rewards and pitfalls of being an AFL player. Included in the presentations during the first day of the two-day camp at Etihad Stadium were details of the MindMax app, created in association with the Movember foundation. The association is planning on releasing the app in March, with general manager of player development Brett Johnson excited about the concept.

"The players are developing the content, so it's player-driven," Johnson said.

"It's all about enhancing their wellbeing and being able to thrive in an AFL environment. As a collective, the idea is for them to really look after their peers."

But Marsh's main concern is the ongoing tussle with the league over the next collective bargaining agreement, which remains unsigned.

The PA has been steadfast in its demand for a fixed percentage of revenue. Talks have been slow, with the union frustrated by some of the league's behaviour at and around a meeting last month in Torquay between the parties, particularly the failure of AFL chief Gillon McLachlan to attend the talks.

Marsh said talks would resume this week and he was optimistic a resolution could be reached. "With a little bit of intent from both sides I'm sure we can start moving towards an outcome," Marsh said.

"I think it's just time. It's time for us both to get together and start to get things moving. We had some conversations over the phone before Christmas and things got to where things got to. We've still got some work to do though."

Marsh said McLachlan won't attend the meeting this week. Not that Marsh seemed perturbed. "That's not unusual. We've got working parties and Gillon's not necessarily involved in those."

The prospect of a player strike during the upcoming AFL pre-season series has been raised, but Marsh wouldn't entertain that idea publicly.

"We want to get things moving on the CBA. It's not really appropriate to be talking about the pre-season competition at this stage. Let's get these talks going and hopefully we can get to a resolution as soon as possible."

The CBA was at the forefront of topics covered at the camp, with respectful relationships, financial literacy and the AFL's contentious illicit drugs policy also on the agenda. Player development managers from the league's 18 clubs also convened, discussing emerging issues and patterns in the industry.

"There's a few different trends that have popped up," Johnson said.

"Social media's obviously becoming more prominent, so things around online safety and those sort of things we're starting to focus more on. Gambling is another one. We've got a really good gambling harm prevention program in place to try and get proactive."

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