CO-CAPTAIN Jack Trengove says the Demons are eager to test their mettle in the hot and humid Darwin conditions this Saturday night in their ‘home’ clash against the Brisbane Lions at TIO Stadium.
Given Melbourne held its pre-season camp in the Top End last December and is set to play its fourth match for premiership points in Darwin, Trengove said the team is eager to pit its physical and mental skills in the trying climate.
“The heat will definitely be a bit of a difference, but we feel as though we’ve prepared well for it and we know what we’re in for,” he told melbournefc.com.au.
“The conditions are definitely poles apart from what we faced last week [against Geelong at Simonds Stadium], but in some ways they are similar, as there will probably be a bit of wet weather footy up in Darwin because of the humidity.
“It can get pretty wet up there at times, so from that aspect, we should be pretty well prepared after the Geelong game.”
Trengove said Melbourne feels as though it has a competitive advantage over the Lions, given its recent ties with Darwin.
“We feel as though we’ve been making inroads in the last month. The two losses in the last two weeks probably don’t really show that, but we were coming up against some great teams in Sydney and Geelong,” he said.
“They’ve been tough opponents, but Brisbane is certainly in form, having beaten the Kangaroos last weekend - and they beat Geelong a few weeks back.
“We feel that any team we come up against, if we play the way we want to, we’re a real show, and that’s definitely the case this week. The boys have done a lot of homework on Brisbane with their strengths and weaknesses.”
Although Trengove didn’t attend Melbourne’s pre-season camp last December - which included a 30 km hike in Kakadu National Park - due to a foot stress fracture sustained the day before leaving, he said that the response from his teammates following the trip had been positive.
“We feel it’s a bit of a competitive advantage, having been up there and gone through that camp and lived and breathed those conditions for 10 days,” he said.
“The last couple of weeks, we’ve been popping into the altitude room and turning the heaters on and doing a few bike sessions in there to try and adjust.
“We’re definitely not scared about what the conditions will hold for us.”
Trengove said the feedback from the pre-season camp was that it had bonded the players, and he was looking forward to spending time with his teammates away from Melbourne.
“I’ve heard a lot of stories about the army barracks and the different stories that went along with the 10-day trip up there,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to seeing a bit of the Territory, but I’m looking forward to getting away with the boys and spending a bit more time with them. A lot of the time you spend with them is just footy, footy, footy.
“So it’ll be good to be up there in a relaxed atmosphere and have a bit of down time with the boys before the game, which I’m looking forward to.”
Trengove said the club and the Northern Territory Government had already established some strong ties, and were looking to build on that.
“It’s a good chance to give back to the community, because we’ve got a great relationship with the Northern Territory Government - our role up there is to promote how good it is to travel to, and show everyone around Australia how good it is,” he said.
“There is a lot of potential for tourism, so it’s a good chance to get away and stick tight with the group. It’s also a great opportunity to promote how good the Northern Territory is.”
