Day 2: Tuesday, January 30

8am: Start of first big day

The first full day of the camp is under way.

Although the key focus for today is the main training session – the first of three on the camp – the players undertake some upper body weights session at the Sebel Twin Waters gymnasium in the morning.

Defender-turned-forward Tom McDonald says “it’s a cool little gym” that’s been provided.

“It’s a bit of a different set-up. It’s outdoor and there are no dumbbells, so a few of the boys are disappointed that they can’t do their bicep curls,” he says with a laugh.

“It’s a real functional fitness centre and it’s a nice change-up. It makes it a lot easier for us as well, as we don’t have to drive 20 minutes into town.

“We can also get some more weights done, when players have got free time, so they can get a bit of extra volume in, so it’s a good set-up.”

With weights finished by 10am, the players have about an hour to relax, before they have an early lunch and head to Maroochydore Multi Sports Complex.

1am: Training under way

The squad returns to the home of the Maroochy Roos – where Melbourne assistant coach Ben Mathews won two best and fairest awards, after playing almost 200 AFL games, including a premiership with the Sydney Swans.

It’s an outstanding regional facility and one that has become a key part of AFL clubs’ schedules, with Carlton, Richmond and the Western Bulldogs among the teams to train up here this pre-season.

This afternoon’s training is a switch-up for the group.

Not only is it held away from Gosch’s Paddock, in a different state, in humid conditions, it’s staged in the middle of the afternoon, giving the players a game-day-like routine, rather than a morning hit-out.

Moreover, this session is about setting the players up for the rest of the camp, especially for Friday and next Monday.

Speed and technical skills are featured today, with players covering roughly 10 to 12km over three hours.

There is plenty of bubble from the players and coaches out on the track.

Jordan Lewis is vocal at breaks, as is Tom Bugg.

Brendan McCartney shares his knowledge and encouragement throughout.

“Maxy fantastic,” he says of Gawn’s work.

“Perfect Sammy,” he later adds after an effort from Frost.

McCartney also brings humour into play, particularly in one comment to Josh Wagner: “Wags, you’re back on home soil, yell as much as you can, so they can hear you back in Brisbane.”  

Simon Goodwin watches over training with eagle-eye intent, and gives strong reinforcement – positively and in an educational manner.

“Great power,” he says with genuine excitement of Oscar McDonald’s play.

By the end of the session, plenty have impressed.

But it’s fair to say that Billy Stretch has been the standout for the afternoon.

The 21-year-old is a beauty. He’s an excellent role model for all footballers, and in many ways, belies his age, with his commitment to the game.

His efforts out on the track were excellent.

Tom Bugg’s focus is also noticeable. He has been impressive this pre-season, after a testing 2017. And his desire to bounce back strongly in 2018 is evident.

In comparing the first main training session on the Sunshine Coast to previous years, McDonald says it’s a slightly different approach.  

“It wasn’t the maximum session that we’re used to up in Maroochydore – sometimes they’re right at the extreme, but it was still a good, solid hit-out,” he says.

“It was a bit closer to match simulation drills. We haven’t had as much of that so far this pre-season, and this camp is a way of building it up. This was probably 75 per cent of what it will be like for Friday and Monday, which will be more match-like.

“It was still a good session and we got a fair bit out of it.”

For first-year Demon, Bayley Fritsch, training on the Sunshine Coast is “a little bit different to Coldstream”, where he grew up in the Yarra Valley, or Casey Fields, where he’s honed his craft in recent years, before being drafted at pick No.31 in last year’s NAB AFL Draft.

“It was definitely pretty tough with the humidity … but it’s going to better me in the long run. We all pushed each other through and it turned out to be a really good session – I got a lot out of it,” he says.

“I haven’t really trained anything like this before and I’m keen for Friday and the session on Monday as well.”

Mathews says the coaches are pleased with how it pans out.

“We had a really quality session. The sun was out and it was pretty steamy, but the boys started the session really well and kept that going all the way through. We had some pretty taxing drills – full ground drills – so it’s good to practice those drills on a good surface up here, and in the heat, which is really beneficial for our players,” he says.

“We’ll try and keep the sessions reasonably consistent, but they’ll certainly all be really strong performance sessions. We want to get close to replicating game-type numbers with our sessions. We have to manage them in between to make sure they recover sufficiently to then keep executing the sessions we’re giving them.

“They will be all pretty similar, and we’ll build into Friday strongly. Friday will probably be a five to 10 per cent greater load than today, and Monday before we leave, we’ll have a very similar session to today.”

6pm: Cooking with gas

It’s the first night of ‘prepare your own meals’ for the group’s respective apartments.

For four youngsters – Sam Weideman, Harley Balic, Mitch King and Oskar Baker – they have been given the challenge of making dinner for senior players, co-captain Jack Viney and Tom McDonald.

But McDonald is unsure how they’ll go.

“I don’t think Oskar could put bread in a toaster,” he says of his new teammate.

In the end, the quartet do quite nicely, says new club dietician Loren Chambers.

“We do things like basic cooking skills. We did a supermarket walk through on Monday, so we spoke about snacks, and certain foods that are good for fuelling and recovering. Being elite athletes, the boys need good fuel, so I taught them what’s good fuel and what isn’t, and what’s good recovery food. So, we’re putting it all together in the kitchen tonight,” she says.

“We had a few first timers in the kitchen and we’ve had some fun making salads, burgers, including salmon burgers.

“I reckon Sammy’s done pretty well. Oskar’s done an awesome job with the salad. It’s hard to pick who’s impressing me the most – I think they’re all doing a really good job.”

Balic, who lived in Perth for two years, having joined Melbourne from Fremantle, has been used to cooking away from home. He’s pulled out a personal favourite, which he’s hoping will win his teammates over.

“I’m just making some homemade burgers for everyone. We’ve had a good batch and a bad batch – the good batch is for the coaches and the bad batch is going to be for us, so hopefully they’ll be all right. But you can buy patties from Safeway, can’t you?” he adds with a laugh.

“We’ve got a nice salad from Oskar. And couscous – what did you (Mitch King) say about it before? A food so good they named it twice.”

King – not to be confused with chef Bernard King, who peaked in the 1980s with his cooking shows (yes, they had them back then), and was also a carping judge on variety shows such as Pot Luck (worth looking up on YouTube) – could indeed have his own cooking show.

Not only is he is an emerging football talent, his dry country wit would no doubt capture an audience.  

“We’re just adding the salmonella in now,” King says straight-faced, when asked how his cooking is going.

“And where’s the Meredith goat’s cheese?

“I reckon I’ll just add a bit of Basil Zempilas.”

Still, credit where it’s due, this crew seems to be making a more than appetising dinner.

But King isn’t sure about the next batch of youngsters who will be cooking for the senior figures.

“[Harry] Petty, ‘Flipper’ (Lochie Filipovic) and Dec [Keilty] – they’ll burn the house down, when they’re cooking tomorrow night,” he says with a grin.

With dinner almost served and Viney and Tom McDonald now at the apartment ready to tuck in … the next test will be how will they pull up in the morning?

Stay tuned.