RETURNING to his native state of Queensland, Rohan Bail says it still takes him time to get used to the humid climate.
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Despite being the most ‘local’ player on the camp – he is one of two Queenslanders on Melbourne’s list, with the other being ruckman Jake Spencer, although he is from Townsville – Bail said it still took him time to acclimatise to the steamy conditions.
“I haven’t been in Queensland full time for six years, so it’s been a long time,” he told melbournefc.com.au.
“It’s funny, the boys have asked Jake ‘where’s your home town?’ He said ‘it’s 1400 kms from here’.
“But I know this area pretty well, so it’s been pretty good to pass on some knowledge.”
Bail said his main aim from the camp was to keep building continuity in his training.
“I want to keep adding fitness and keep working on our ball movement with my teammates and really take it into the season,” he said.
The versatile Demon said the conditions reminded him “a little bit” of Melbourne’s Darwin pre-season camp, back in December 2012. But he said the “relaxed vibe” away from training helped enormously.
“The heat makes it really intense like it was in Darwin,” he said.
“The weather’s nice and warm, but it’s really nice with the rain as well. We had a fun little running session yesterday (Monday), which took a bit of getting used to because of the heat. But that’s why we’re here and we’ll get the benefits out of it.
“Where we’re staying is really nice as well, so it’s great.”
Bail has noticeably matured in his body over the summer, adding strength to his frame. But he hasn’t lost any of his running ability, which he is noted for, given he finished second to teammate Tom McDonald in last Friday’s three-km time-trial at Princes Park.
“I’d like to be able to beat Tom, but he’s a pretty good runner. But I was happy with my time,” he said.
“I’ve added some bulk to my hips, legs and shoulders, which is important.
“I’ve really enjoyed the weights program this year.”
