Day 1: Wednesday, January 14
7am
Breakfast is organised by each of the 18 apartments – as are the rest of the meals for the day.
Head of development Brett ‘Fruity’ Allison talks up his barbeque-cooked breakfast – and it did sound good. But he was spewing that the side of avocado was accidentally left out (which I can totally understand, I mean who doesn’t love a good avo?).
I’m on Fruity’s mini bus again as he takes a group of players out to the Maroochydore Multi Sports Complex for ‘craft’.
Fruity is the perfect type of coach/mentor to have in a footy club. He’s got a friendly, happy-go-lucky demeanour, but he’s also a determined and straight as an arrow fella. He’s excellent with the young players in development.
Some of the young lads on the bus include Oscar McDonald, Alex Neal-Bullen and Billy Stretch. They’re getting set for their first full day, after arriving late the previous day, having attended the AFLPA induction camp.
MORE: Camp already gaining results: Misson | Day 2: Dees complete big training session
8:15am
In the Maroochy Roos’ rooms, property steward Anthony Brown has the tunes pumping as the players prepare for craft. And they’re not bad either!
They’re certainly more my vintage – 1980s/90s – but there are also some tunes from the 2000s/10s. Christian Petracca is happy with the “older” tunes though and gives the thumbs up to what’s playing.
At one stage, there appears to be an Australian flavour going through the speakers. Icehouse’s Electric Blue and AC/DC’s Thunderstuck are given a run. And I’m pleasantly surprised that Moving Pictures’ What about me still evokes some passion among the crew. Strength and conditioning manager Rob Jackson and training services coordinator Peter W Roberts are both complimentary of the tune. But it’s still an Australian classic, even though it’s been flogged. Isn’t it?
9:15am
Craft is underway. Not the macramé, cross-stitch or woodwork variety.
This is all about the game plan. And it’s serious stuff.
Craft involves going through the structured component of the game plan – areas like zones, kick-ins and stoppages.
The coaches aren’t worried about the players’ running in these drills. It’s very much a session about explaining the game plan and in some cases walking them through it.
It’s an important period for the coaches to work closely with the players out on the track.
10:30am
The players are split into two groups.
One group stays at the ground and the other heads to the Suncoast Fitness Centre for a 45-minute upper body work out. The group at the ground has physio and a mobility/flexibility session. They then swap over after completing them.
Today is considered an off legs day for the players, as they’ll be getting ready for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, which will be harder days.
There are some serious weights being pushed by the boys.
Heritier Lumumba is looking is great nick. Daniel Cross is unsurprisingly still looking as fit as a fiddle. The young guys are in there, including rookie Aaron Vandenberg who tells me he is progressing strongly, after having a shoulder injury when drafted last November.
The big men are looking – well, big! But the likes of Mark Jamar, Chris Dawes and Cam Pedersen are also looking leaner, despite not dropping too much size.
12:30pm
With the morning’s training completed, the players have some time to grab their own lunch. Some head into neighbouring town Mooloolaba or stay back at the apartments to prepare their meal.
2.30pm
Back at Twin Waters, the players undertake a trademark session, which focuses on team expectations and what’s expected of each other.
The discussion also centres on finding out more about each other.
Players break into groups as part of the session.
4.30pm
At the end of the trademark session, the boys gather at the beach area of the Twin Waters resort. There, Paul Roos informs his troops that they will be undertaking a paddle boarding/kayaking challenge.
The players are already in six groups, and on the back of Tuesday’s goalkicking relay challenge, Roos has his charges set for a ‘paddle off’.
Soon the cheering, egging on and general razzing of teammates begin.
Angus Brayshaw is early to impress on the paddle board, with another youngster Jayden Hunt also showing some talent. Jack Viney paddles like a man possessed. Think his style of football on water.
Development coach Brad Miller, who still looks fit enough to play, is another to show strong form on the paddle board.
It’s good fun to watch. Naturally, there are a few wags trying to knock each other off the paddle board. But unfortunately, Christian Salem doesn’t need any help.
The youngster falls in the water early on, but he gets back up on his feet and makes it out towards a jetty. Yet this is where he comes unstuck again.
A slight breeze and the flow of the water doesn’t help Salem and he falls off – narrowly missing the jetty – and drawing plenty of encouragement … err laughs from his mates. But to his credit, Salem gets back up on the board and makes it back to shore no worries. It’s all part of the character building!
Big man Max King also has a crack, but he too has the odd spill! He too, gets back on the board … and away he goes.
Overall, it’s good fun and not surprisingly, super competitive.
The group that wins – after they paddle to the other side of the beach and back – consists of Nathan Jones, Dom Tyson, Cross, Viney, Viv Michie, Christian Petracca, Angus Brayshaw and James Harmes.
And it’s fair to say they’re pretty happy!
6pm
With the players having bought their food from Coles the previous day, there’s no shortage of Peter Russell-Clarke or Gabriel Gaté-like chefs ready to cook up a storm in the kitchen.
(Note: if you think I’m showing my age about the above-mentioned chefs, then I was going to suggest that the players might emulate Philip Paxton of ‘The Magic Wok’ fame – a show on Channel 10 in the early 1980s. Does anyone remember that on Saturday mornings? Maybe, just insert the trendiest chef of the moment from one of the umpteen cooking shows on television, as the type of chef the players were trying to follow.)
In the end, barbeques, always a favourite, were the flavour of the night.
