WHILE Melbourne has relocated its football department to the beach, the Demons certainly aren’t in Manly for a holiday.
Having made the move on Sunday evening, players, coaches and staff have been adjusting to life within an AFL hub.
And while their surrounds may be a little different to normal, there’s no confusion on what they’re there to do.
“It’s all gun’s blazing,” defender Michael Hibberd told Melbourne Media.
“We’re here to win games and train hard.”
The Demons hit Blacktown International Sportspark on Wednesday evening, for what was their first main session in Sydney.
On arrival, they headed straight for the gym, before training under lights, in preparation for their clash with the Gold Coast Suns on Saturday.
“It was a really good session – we’re really happy with the way everyone trained and there was a lot of purpose,” Hibberd said.
“We had our weights before and everyone went in there and cracked in, so it was a good start to a camp, I guess, up here and we’ll keep going.”
The energy was up all throughout the lengthy session, with the Dees partaking in predominantly small-group drills.
Their work forward of centre continued to be a focus, having struggled to capitalise on their inside-50 entries recently, while a mix of running and skills topped up the intense session.
“It’s no contact at the moment, but [there was] a lot of running, a lot of speed,” Hibberd said.
“It’s nice to be out in great conditions at night. We’re playing a night game this week, so it’s probably getting used to conditions and we had a good hit out, so everyone’s happy.”
Having returned to the side in Round 4, Hibberd has been a big contributor for Melbourne over the past two weeks.
His 25-disposal effort last week, nine of which were contested, also included eight intercepts and five marks.
And with a couple of good games under his belt, the 30-year-old’s confidence is only growing.
“I guess you never want to be out of the side, but I worked hard and got back in,” Hibberd said.
“It’s a pity we’ve lost the two games I’ve been in, but I feel like I’m starting to build into some form and I feel like the team’s starting to jell a bit better together.
“Hopefully we can show that this week.”
The Dees will meet the Suns on Saturday evening at GIANTS Stadium, with the game to start at 6.05pm.
