Day 6: Monday, January 19
6:30am
I start the morning having breakfast with my great mate Matty Goodrope, who arrived the previous day. Matty is an outstanding young man, who continues to give the club great service. He’s adept in several roles, but predominantly does production on the website. He’s also a talented snapper (check out his pics on melbournefc.com.au – it’s worth it!).
We walk to the hotel and on the way it’s like going through the reptile park at the zoo. The number of lizards that dart around is quite amazing!
I bump into Aidan Riley and ask him how his jellyfish sting is from yesterday. He’s going ok, but it’s made a bit of a mark. He’s no dramas though for today. It’s certainly a different injury to happen on a pre-season football camp!
For the boys, it’s the start of the second week’s training and it’s going to be another full on session for the boys.
The ‘Fruity’ bus, driven by Brett Allison, is pumping this morning. He’s got the music cranked louder than it’s been. He is word perfect on Taylor Swift’s Style, given he’s heard it “15 times a day” courtesy of his young daughters.
An iPhone gets plugged in and soon a mixture of – shall we say – mixed songs come on. Fireball by Pitbull Feat. John Ryan and then You’re the voice by surely you know who comes on. Flo Rida Feat. David Guetta’s Club can’t handle me, Avicii’s Wake me up follow. Then Christian Petracca flicks it onto a track, which will pump the boys The colour of the harder styles by Showtek. I’ve got to concede I had to Shazam that one for the purpose of this exercise!
Overall, the first-year boys are fairly quiet on the bus this morning. They seem focused, but I sense some nervousness about this week’s training session, given the ante is set to be upped again.
Allison gives the boys a quick word of encouragement as they depart the mini bus for the rooms.
8:15am
It’s preparation time. The boys know that the expectations are to take their training standards to another level yet again. It’s this demand that is taking the boys to the next level.
Paul Roos is outstanding at keeping the boys on their toes. He observes and takes it all in. He’s great at encouraging, but when he expects the players to step-up, they certainly know they have to.
And they respond.
9am
After warming up, elite performance manger Dave Misson springs a surprise on the players, informing them they’ll be doing a two-km time-trial.
It’s a tough start after a day and a half off, but it’s what’s required to take the team to the next level.
It’s interesting to watch training this morning as the leaders take training, with the fitness staff on hand to oversee drills.
The coaches then come into the session later on to conduct 20 minutes of game simulation. At the end of it, another running drill is held.
Overall, it’s a tough session to start the second week with, but not as big as last Saturday’s training run, which some players believed was the toughest so far this pre-season.
Misson says the boys were a little bit flat early on, which he says can happen after a day and a half’s rest, but after blowing out the “cobwebs” he’s pleased with their resilience to bounce back and have a good session.
He adds that the attitude, voice on the ground and effort can’t be questioned, particularly after the fitness staff “banged a fair bit of work into them” in the first week.
Summing up, Misson says they were always going to face a challenging first session this week, but he remains bullish about the next three days and says it’s a great opportunity for the players to top off a strong and successful camp.
1pm
After lunch at the ground, the players head to the Suncoast Fitness Centre.
Misson says it will be Melbourne’s last big weights session for the camp, although the team has another weights session planned on Wednesday.
The focus for today is legs – and the weights pushed are heavy indeed!
It’s a full-on session after this morning’s training.
A team meeting is also held during the afternoon, before the players have some down time, before the evening’s dinner at Alexandra Headlands Surf Club.
6pm
The ‘Fruity’ mini bus trip ended up being a battle between two young DJs.
On the way to the Surf Club, Petracca opened his set with some pulsating beats. After dinner, Neal-Bullen closed the set with a set-list that perhaps appeased the fans a bit more. Both DJs had a crack. I’m sure it’ll be the same on the field!
The food was plentiful at the Surf Club and the boys had some serious height going on their plate. Some of the boys can seriously eat.
Now, Jordie McKenzie is not carrying any excess weight, but gee whiz he stacked his plate pretty well. McKenzie is a good country lad, so I guess it’s no surprise. But his plate looked like a mound of grass covering his meat.
It was enough for Roos to be impressed by his effort!
Jack Viney is also good on the fang. He attacks his food like his footy, so I guess that’s no surprise either. He’s a beauty, young Jack!
Nathan Jones presented the club with a Melbourne jumper and the boys were happy with their combination of steak, chicken, fish, vegetables and salad (and hot chips for the coaches and staff).
It was a reasonably early night, but after a tough first day back on the track, the group was ready for some quiet time.
The boys will be back out at Mooroochydore Multi Sports Complex on Tuesday, for day nine of the pre-season camp.
