A welcome to country followed by a music and dance performance from local indigenous leaders had created an expectant mood.
Yet when the moment came to discuss the impending six-hour hike in the Kakadu National Park near Jabiru, the room went quiet.
Mark Neeld told his players they needed to attend to detail in their preparation to ensure the outcome was good. The environment they were to enter the next day would be unforgiving. It was the players' responsibility to be ready.
The first point the coach made was that the hike was to be considered a training session.
It was an interesting way to define the expedition.
Although Neeld knew in his mind that it was not just another training session, the phrase was a simple way to remind everyone in the group of their role. In other words, if a player needed assistance, someone would be there to lend that support.
The coach said it was vital, as always, that everyone looked out for everyone else to ensure the players got through.
It is such intangibles that make training camps worthwhile.
What did not need to be said, because most understood it anyway, was that the walk represented a chance for the players to see a part of Australia with special significance.
Neeld then spoke about what the group's aims were and emphasised the need for players to soak up every word from the club doctor Dan Bates.
Soon Bates had the undivided attention of the room.
It was hardly news that it was going to be hot – but Bates suggested players would need to replenish up to 2000 calories – during the walk. In the end Neil Craig, the club's director of sports performance, would soak up 4000 calories.
However, fluids were not just critical - players had to be smart in the way they drank; it was important not to over hydrate said Bates. That was, said the doctor, a common mistake in such conditions that could lead to problems.
His direction was practical and professional, alert not alarmed.
Even the basic stuff was covered, which meant a good hat was essential.
In the 15 minutes that followed the meeting, the souvenir shop downstairs did a roaring trade in broad brimmed hats, proof that everyone had been listening.
In the briefing from a park ranger at Kakadu, assistant coaches had been told it was highly likely walkers would come across snakes. A large billabong alongside one stage of the track contained a crocodile. A bee colony had also set up next to a fallen tree on the track at one point too.
"If you're going past, don't annoy the bees," Bates said.
The players then split into divisional groups to get their final instructions.
When one forward suggested it might be a good idea to "punch out the first few kilometres" before the real heat came in the middle of the day, his teammate responded: "I'll be more than jogging if I see snakes, I give you the tip."
On Thursday morning, two buses pulled out at 5:30am to catch the sunrise at the top of a lookout near Jabiru.
A short scramble up the hill and Kakadu National Park stretched out as far as the eye could see, more and more of its ancient beauty revealed as the sun rose from behind the escarpment.
At this time of the year, before the wet transforms Kakadu, the land is dry underfoot yet teeming with potential. Although it seems quiet, this terrain is always on the march.
Marching (well, walking is more apt) is what the Demons players and coaches began to do soon after sunrise, heading out past the billabong towards the escarpment.
There was little of the usual football banter to start as the group appeared to contemplate the message to stay safe that came from traditional owner Jeffrey Lee, who had welcomed the group to his country before sending them on their way.
Lee told the group the traditional owners worry when people walk on their country because they want them to be safe. In this case, rangers would be dotted around the park to lend support but he emphasised the importance of treating the place with respect.
"Nice meeting you mob," Lee said as a way of signing off, before casting an eye over the 70-odd group. "Big mob of you."
When asked whether he would like to join them, he responded, much to the delight of the players, with a wry grin. "Ah, no thanks."
His words and demeanour made an immediate impression on Melbourne captain Jack Grimes.
"It was really good to hear because I think sometimes that can be forgotten when you just go to a new place and go for a walk," Grimes said. "If you take a step back and look back at what it really is … it just holds so much value to people up here. It does make you respect the land a lot more."
One wondered what rookies Mitch Clisby and Nathan Stark were thinking, finding themselves in Kakadu National Park among new teammates less than 48 hours after having their name called out in the NAB AFL Rookie Draft.
Clisby had been at work in Adelaide when he heard Melbourne had picked him. A day later he was in Darwin. Half a day later and he was bushwalking.
Stark would later tell Grimes – who took the chance to get to know the new arrival – that while it was a shock, it was a great opportunity to integrate into the group as quickly as possible.
"These camps are what brings guys closer together," Grimes said.
The rehab group had to face reality and sit out the beginning of the walk – much to their disappointment – because of the rocky terrain and the up and down nature of the Barrk Sandstone bushwalk.
They were left to look at Max Gawn's long pink socks, worn – we presume – to keep the mood light. If nothing else, they made the surroundings bright.
The group's resigned frustration was a reminder that the difficulty of dealing with injury often focuses on the physical without much regard, externally at least, for the mental battles it causes.
You only had to see the expressions on the faces of those left behind to appreciate how tough mentally it is being in rehab and how desperate players are to work hard with their teammates.
The rest of the players began the trek in their divisional groups – after wishing first-year defender Dean Terlich a happy birthday – with assistant coaches and support staff in tow.
The backline group worked hard for each other as they traipsed up the escarpment. A different player took the lead every so often and set the pace. The competitive juices were flowing early with a voice saying "there would be only one thing worse than seeing crocodiles and snakes on this track, and that would seeing the forwards or the mids".
While such comments indicate the manufactured inter-club rivalry driving everyone at this time of the season, they were needed to keep the energy levels high, particularly when the sun began to apply its full force.
Nicknames floated past like dragonflies and in-house sayings filled the humid air.
If 'voice' (if you're wondering, that's a football term for saying something encouraging) dropped off, Jade Rawlings and Andrew Nichol made sure it returned. An exchange between defender Tom McDonald – one of the club's best endurance athletes – and Rawlings showed the tone.
Rawlings: "Tommy, don't go getting in your own world"
McDonald: "How will you know when I do?"
Rawlings: "I can read you like a book."
The loud call of 'a picture book' came, sensibly, from someone behind the coach. The grin on Rawlings face showed he appreciated the line.
There was time in between banter for normal conversations with players about anything and everything. The regard the defenders had for Rawlings became clear as the walk progressed and he was soon talking with McDonald about his plans over Christmas.
The players remained comfortable amid the onslaught despite there being little rest, while the shade was irregular and when it was spotted it came in the size of a tea towel.
However, at about 13 kilometres, shortly after a rest, Neeld decided to up the pace and called on the backline group to run. The terrain had flattened out into a long dirt road between walking tracks, so the danger of injury was almost non-existent.
In such searing heat, any running is a challenge but this was not to be a walk in the park, so to speak. The group ran for 500 metres, then walked for 500 metres then went again for the next nine kilometres. Walking was tougher than running, as the heat, that was pushing 40 degrees at times, bounced off the red dirt and found its way into players' airwaves, giving some a suffocating feeling.
It must have felt like being under a permanent spotlight. That's the nature of humidity. It delivers breathtaking uppercuts all day long.
No one buckled, a good sign for the young group. The bonus of running was that a nine-kilometre stretch of dirt road passed quickly.
As the middle of the day quickly approached and the dirt road lay behind, the destination became the Gubara Pool, only a three-kilometre trek away. Although the heat was oppressive and well over 20 kilometres had been covered, the unique country was enough to distract even the most weary of travellers from the messages their feet were sending them.
And the pool at the end was worth the wait: "To get into there and cool off was awesome," Grimes said. "That area was amazing and we came across it out of absolutely nowhere."
Players and staff headed back to the dusty red road with the cut off time of 1pm in sight. Many could have kept going with the walk being conducted at low intensity but remaining in the heat was not smart for anyone.
It was a weary bunch that showered and ate lunch before heading back to Darwin for dinner.
The coaches were happy with the response of the players and it capped off a positive nine days in the top end.
The group had taken heed of the coach's message that had been part of the preparation for the trip.
"We have another opponent up here and it's called heat and humidity and it's about tackling that opponent head on," Neeld said.
The attention to detail had been first class. The players had managed themselves and walked through without a problem. The support that came in rough terrain with ice and water and medical support would put the average roadcrew to shame. As such the heightened anticipation from the night before soon become a memory.
The players would head back to Melbourne with a light week on the track ahead of them, in the knowledge they could handle whatever was thrown at them.
And forever having a walk through Kakadu, and time in Jabiru, as part of the team's shared experience.
But the message that came the next day was even clearer. What had been achieved was just the foundation in readiness for post-Christmas training.
