2016 AFL Community Camp: Melbourne Football Club

Day 1: Wednesday, February 10

Casey

9am – Training at Casey Fields

MELBOURNE’S two-day community camp starts with a training session at Casey Fields.

The Cranbourne East venue is of course Melbourne’s training campus in the City of Casey. And it is in this region – and its surrounding areas – that the club will spend the first day of its AFL community camp, before venturing to its ‘Heartland’ on Thursday.

Melbourne’s training this morning consists of ‘craft’.

For the record, craft in a football sense doesn’t enter the world of macramé.

It’s actually about technically breaking down and pulling apart football skills and positions on the ground. It’s not done with great intensity, but it’s a heavily coached session. And the intricacies are far more than just kicking, marking and handballing.

For example, Jay Kennedy-Harris, Dean Kent and Jeff Garlett will practice one step snaps and dribble kicks for goals. Tom McDonald will hone his intercept marking as a defender and midfielders such as Nathan Jones will work on contested ball techniques and stoppages. Key forwards such as Jesse Hogan work on contested marking and leading patterns.

A handful of players in the rehab group are also stepping up their training, including Heritier Lumumba, who is coming off post-season operations on both ankles.

Inside, several players are doing weights and recovery sessions.

Overall, craft lasts for two hours.

Elite performance manager Dave Misson says the session was “all about getting the players moving again after a big day on Tuesday”. He adds that Tuesday was highlighted by “good speed and slick skills” … and of course a bit of friendly fire between Messrs McDonald and Viney.

“We’ve really just carried on from the camp and kept building,” Misson says, referencing Melbourne’s nine days on the Sunshine Coast from January 15-23.

“We’ve aimed to do a couple of big sessions a week and a lot of match simulation, and we’ve tried to reinforce how we want to play. We’ve also got specific things out of individuals from a physical point of view.

“We’ve been pretty pleased in the two weeks since we’ve come back.”

With Melbourne’s first NAB Challenge hit out against Port Adelaide at Elizabeth coming up on February 27, Misson said ‘in season’ mode was not far away.   

“We’ll be heading into that match with our first ‘in season’ week and we’ll pull the main training sessions back a little bit,” he says.

“We’ll put a big focus on the games – football wise and physically.

“At the moment, the vast majority of players – probably 90 per cent – would say that they’re ready to go and ready to play. We’ve just got a couple of things we want to tick off this week and next week, and then we’re ready to go.”

12pm – Official luncheon

A welcome lunch is held at Casey Fields, hosted by club ambassador and Melbourne great Russell Robertson.

Members of the City of Casey are in attendance, along with local business, community and sporting people.

General manager of football operations and 2004 Port Adelaide premiership player Josh Mahoney, plus chief commercial officer George de Crespigny, who played reserves for Melbourne in the late 1990s, are the guest speakers.

Mahoney provides an update of Melbourne’s football department and explains the advantages of the club being able to train at Casey. de Crespigny also highlights the benefits of the Casey partnership.

“It was a great lunch,” Robertson says afterwards.

“Josh and George were excellent. Josh spoke about how lucky the players are to have a facility such as Casey Fields, plus Casey RACE (recreation and aquatic centre) and the gymnasium.  

“Overall, we just celebrated the community camp in the Casey area.”

1:30pm – Community visits

After an early lunch, the players split up into groups and start their community visits to schools, hospitals and aged care facilities in the City of Casey and its surrounding area.

Players and staff head off for their visits to the following places: Berwick Lodge Primary School, Marnebek School, Courtenay Gardens Primary School, Cranbourne Primary School, Rangebank Primary School, Mossgiel Park Primary School, James Cook Primary School, Cranbourne West Primary School, Casey Hospital, Casey Aged Care, Regis Sherwood Park Junction Village and Salisbury House Aged Care.

I head to Salisbury House with Chris Dawes, Billy Stretch and Alex Neal-Bullen and to be honest, it’s a pretty touching experience.    

Now, I must disclose that I have a personal attachment, as my dear Mum is a resident, due to several health issues, but most noticeably multiple sclerosis.

To watch the three men interact and connect with the residents and staff for more than an hour – really, I couldn’t have been any prouder to be involved with the Melbourne Football Club. And I’m sure any Melbourne supporter would’ve been too.  

Dawes, who injured his calf the day before, still fulfilled, without fuss, his commitments. He could’ve quite easily not made the visit after having scans in Melbourne that morning.

It really reinforced the commitment and effort that the players make – on and off the field.

Libby Williams, a registered nurse and one of the key team members at Salisbury House, can’t speak highly enough of having the players visit. It’s extra special for her, given she’s been a Melbourne member for the past 35 years. The great Robert Flower remains her all-time favourite. But she’s just as keen on ‘Trac’ and ‘Gus’. And she’s fully aware that recruit Tom Bugg hails from her local football club, Gembrook.

“This is the first time ever that we’ve had an AFL team visit here and I’ve been working here for 30 years, so it’s been very exciting,” she says.

“It’s very stimulating for the residents, particularly for the residents in the dementia unit. They were just so intrigued in seeing these big, strong guys. The residents just connected with them. When they realised they were footy players – it was a great thrill for them.

“For most of the residents here, football has been such a big part of many of their lives. It’s not every day you have a footy team come into your home, because this is their home. To have footballers visit was just great.”

Of the 60 residents, Williams counts at least eight Melbourne supporters off the top of her head, along with a handful of staff.

Dawes, now in his 10^th AFL pre-season, after originally being drafted by Collingwood at No.28 in 2006, says he still gains plenty from community camps.  

“It went really well,” he says.

“It’s a beautiful old guest house that’s been turned into an aged care facility and it was really good to visit.

“We spoke to a number of patients and it was good to engage with them. The staff was pretty excited to talk to us too and had lots of questions – the staff was really kind – so it was good.”

For Stretch, 19, and Neal-Bullen, 20, both in their second year, the experience is an important one.

“It was really good for us, being quite young,” Stretch says.

“It was awesome to see so many smiles on their faces and give a little bit back.

“We definitely got a lot out of it and it was quite rewarding. To see people who are unable to get out of bed, have little movement and can’t function themselves – to be able to put a smile on their face was a great experience.”

Neal-Bullen adds: “It was just lovely to put a smile on everyone’s face in there. Going from schools to aged care facilities, it’s similar in the fact that they all get a lift from it. I’m sure they’ll be talking about it for months to come and it’s something I’d definitely do again. It was really rewarding.”

“Something you take away from it is that it could be a member of your family one day.

“It reminds you that one of your grandparents, mother or cousin could be in a similar situation one day. You certainly hope everything will be OK, but it’s a good reminder.”

4pm – Casey Festival of Football

The squad gathers at Sweeney Reserve, on the border of Narre Warren and Bewick for the Festival of Football – an event that has football activities, giveaways, signing stations, Dees Fun Zone (inflatables), marquees, face painting and food trucks.

It’s a beautiful afternoon and a strong crowd attends.

Among the attendees is Melbourne supporter Dennis Ross, 75, who travels up from Warragul, in West Gippsland.

Ross, who was born in Yallourn, tells me he is the nephew of Melbourne Team of the Century member Wally Lock, who played 140 matches, including the 1941 premiership and won the 1947 best and fairest award, from 1936-41 and 1946-49.

Ross, who has been a member since 1981, “when Ron Barassi returned to the club”, tells me about Lock.

“He was invited to play cricket for North Melbourne and he was good friends with test cricketer Chuck Fleetwood-Smith. When Wally was at cricket training one day, he noticed a group of players running nearby. He pointed and asked ‘who are they?’ Once he found out they were Melbourne footballers, it sparked his interest and then he switched to footy. The rest is history,” he says. 

Shortly into the afternoon, a cricket match emerges, with a host of youngsters batting and bowling with the likes of Aaron vandenBerg, Jack Trengove, Max King, Kent, Cam Pedersen, Colin Garland, Christian Salem, Lynden Dunn, Christian Petracca, Dean Terlich, Jack Viney, Sam Weideman, T.McDonald and Jayden Hunt are involved.

Salem, a left-handed batsman, plays a couple of beautiful straight drives with genuine class. Not surprisingly!

Pedersen bowls a cracking bouncer, knocking the sunnies off Terlich’s head.

Petracca – in between playing some nice air guitar to Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer, which is one of a number of tunes playing throughout the afternoon – bats with a few of the youngsters and gives them a hand.

A Schweppes classic catch is also claimed by Daisy Pearce, who pulls in a great one-hander. Not surprisingly, she’s also a gun cricketer!

Garland, a massive cricket aficionado, gives a summary of play.

“There weren’t many stars among the players, but a few of the kids starred,” he says.

“Christian Salem did OK. He hit Dean Kent for numerous balls, but I think we’ve all done that – Kenty isn’t the best player. Tom McDonald’s bowling has improved a lot. Sam Weideman is actually a very good bowler, so if footy doesn’t work out, he could actually get a call-up. Jack Trengove is always classy. He always tells us that he travelled to England to play cricket. Christian Petracca was horrible. He should stick to basketball.

“In all seriousness, it’s great to see the kids into cricket and footy, which are synonymous with Australian sport.”

During the event, Max Gawn gives some shoulder rides to a few youngsters, including three kids he knows through his Mum, who has brought them up from the South Gippsland town of Loch.

His Mum runs a café called ‘Olive at Loch’ in the picturesque town and the ruckman says it’s well worth the visit.

“She makes unbelievable pasties and little frittatas,” Gawn says.

“Then you’ve got the brewery next door and you can go in there for a beer.

“Loch’s a great place.”

Hogan, Jack Watts, Stretch, Oscar McDonald, Josh Wagner, Mitch King and Hunt are among the players at the autograph table.

Close by, Dom Tyson, Liam Hulett and Joel Smith are kicking the footy with some of the kids.

Neville Jetta and Viv Michie assist the youngsters on the handball target, as Lumumba looks after the ones going down the slide. Bugg is on the tackling bag.

For James Harmes, he’s back among his own ‘heartland’, having grown up in Clyde and playing his junior football with Devon Meadows.

“It’s always good to come back to the Casey area,” he says.

“I’ve seen a few people I already know. My uncle came down, so it was good to see him and it’s always good to touch base with people in the area where you started your footy. I’ve also seen a bloke who played footy with my old man at Devon Meadows.

“It’s good to see a fair few Melbourne jumpers too. And I reckon as we rise, we’ll see more and more kids pulling on Melbourne jumpers.”

6.30pm – Leading Business and Coach the Coaches

Back at Casey Fields, two events are held: ‘Leading Business’ and ‘Coach the Coaches’.

Robertson is the MC for the night.

Chief executive Peter Jackson speaks to business leaders from the Casey area and offers an insight into his leadership forum, which he runs over two days and has had great success with in recent times.  

When Jackson runs the leadership experience, he brings in the likes of senior coach Paul Roos and Mahoney, who also offer their insights.

“Peter is well credentialed in leadership and culture. In the end, he had them all sitting on the edge of their seat,” Robertson says.

“It was an expurgated version of Peter’s leadership forum. Out of that there were immediately 15 people out of the 40 saying they’ll attend the leadership forum with Peter.

“Nathan Jones, Bernie Vince, Tom McDonald, Dom Tyson and Jack Viney were also in the room and they spoke and mingled among the people as well, so it was a really good night.”

At the other end of the building, stoppage coach Jade Rawlings and manager of development Brendan McCartney – both former senior AFL coaches – run a Coach the Coaches session.

About 50 coaches are in attendance from Casey and the south-east region of Melbourne. They are mostly junior coaches.

Rawlings relishes the evening as he has “a passion for talking to people who are passionate about coaching”.

“I don’t care what level,” he says.

“People think we’re different because we’re at AFL level, but we’re not. As coaches, we might do it at a different level to what others do at local level, but fundamentally we have similar principles.

“It’s great to chat about what people do and how they go about it, so overall, it’s a great information sharing opportunity.”

Rawlings says McCartney’s presence, given he has been involved in the AFL as a coach since 1998, is significant.

“Macca and I are very good friends. We work well together and get on well, so I let him take the floor and I chime in where I can,” he says.

“He gives credibility because of his experience and his success elsewhere. He’s genuinely passionate about coaching, so I think that’s a lot of the reason why the people thought it was a success – because of what Macca contributes to it.”

Rawlings says people always surprise him at coaching forums and he highlights one such coach from the evening.

“We had one young lady who spoke about her capacity to perform under pressure,” he says.

“She said she used to be a firefighter and no longer does it, but she has really good skills to work under stressful situations. And without judging a book by its cover – you wouldn’t have picked it.

“She really gave some good insight into her background and how she applies it to coaching, so when you’re at forums like this, you never underestimate what people might’ve done and what you can learn yourself.”

Overall, Rawlings says it’s important to give local coaches something they can take away from the event. 

“The most important thing that you can do on a night like this is give the male and female coaches some tangible things to take away and apply themselves,” he says.

“We give them an indication of what we do at AFL level, but we just want to give them some things that they can apply at underage level and senior level in the suburbs.

“We had a really good group and they were really interactive, so it made it a really worthwhile night.”

And it’s fair to say that it’s been more than a worthwhile day for the City of Casey, its surrounding area and for the Melbourne Football Club.