Day 7 - Wednesday, December 12

8 am

After a much needed ‘sleep in’, I sit down next to afl.com.au reporter Peter Ryan for breakfast.

Mitch Clark then sits on my left. He asks me if I can send him a photo from Tuesday’s Soldier Recovery Centre visit, when he presented Lance Corporal (LCpl) Gill her new rank slide. She became Corporal (Cpl) Gill.

I send it through on my phone.

I really like Clark. He’s an uncompromising footballer, with a tough exterior, but has genuine interest and care in many areas away from the game. He’s a really good fella, and is a critical part of the team’s long term prospects.

Sitting opposite me at breakfast is the future: Dom Barry, Rory Taggert and Jack Viney. They’re all good lads, with different personalities and backgrounds.

Viney sits down with three poached eggs on toast, with pepper on top.

“I could eat eggs all day,” he says.

Taggert says, “I’d get full”.

Soon the conversation with Barry, Taggert, Viney, Ryan and I switches from footy to travel to where we come from, plus our plans for the Christmas period.

I chat to Barry about the Territory and his hometown in Alice Springs. He’s heading back home for Christmas. He asks me if I’ve been there before. I tell him once, when I was on a Year 12 Central Australia camp. I loved it. It’s still one of my favourite trips to this day. It was back in 1994.

“I was born that year,” Barry says.

I draw back my breath before saying with a smile, “Yeah, I know!”

It’s easy to forget that this kid is half my age. He’s an 18 year-old with a twinkle in his eye, having a crack at his dream. And I’m looking forward to watching him play.

Taggert talks about his home town - Horsham.

He’s perhaps forgotten somewhat, given his tough first season with a back injury.

But he could be one to watch over the next few years.

Viney speaks about new recruit Nathan Stark, who the club drafted with its first pick at No. 3 in Tuesday’s NAB AFL Rookie Draft.

“He’s a good player and good bloke,” he says.

Viney says he’s also met Mitch Clisby from North Adelaide. That was Viney’s SANFL team, before he moved to Victoria when his family moved back to Melbourne and his father Todd took up his position at the club.

“Mitch was in the reserves when I was coming though the under 16s,” Viney says.

It’s nearing the end of breakfast when Nathan Jones grabs the attention of the group. It’s midfield coach Brian Royal’s birthday.

Jones walks towards him with a chocolate muffin and candle on it.

“It’s the old boy’s birthday, happy 70th Choco,” he says, to roars of laughter.

Royal pipes back, “Minus 40 years.”

For the record, the Bulldog great and experienced assistant coach is 51.

Happy birthday Choc!

9.15 am

The players are driven in the mini buses to the Barracks oval for training, which lasts roughly an hour.

Before it starts, a few players sign footballs.

“I’m using my new signature now,” James Frawley says.

To which Joel Macdonald chips in with, “You’ve got a big boy’s signature now”.

It draws sniggers from those who are close by.

Training focuses on core development.

Players then also work with their divisional areas to focus on skills such as contested aerial work, ground balls, goalkicking, field kicking and defensive spoils.

It’s not as intense as the previous sessions at Palmerston, Gardens Oval and TIO Stadium, but given the players will be hiking 35 km through Kakadu National Park on Thursday, it’s enough. 

Even in these smaller sessions, watching on, you can see the players are advanced from this time a year ago, particularly with their fitness base and understanding of what’s required, plus the fact they have had a year under senior coach Mark Neeld, director of football Neil Craig, elite performance manager Dave Misson and an impressive group of assistant/development coaches, which all adds to their development.

As football manager Josh Mahoney says, “We were able to plan pre-season in August, rather than October, which is when the coaching group came together last year.”

“Everyone came in from different clubs with their own ideas and it was mixed into a melting pot - Neeldy obviously had his own - but we’ve come out with what we’ve wanted.

“There has been some slight tinkering this year, but it’s coming together.”

The three passionate Melbourne supporters - John Cronin, Torsten Kasper and David Rennick, plus corporate sales manager Tom McClure - run water for the players. They also join in a handball drill late in the session. They get a kick - pardon the pun - out of it.

11 am

A pool recovery session and packing for our trip to Jabiru/Kakadu National Park soon follows.

We then gather outside the common room, with our bags packed. Our two new players arrive: Stark and Clisby. Both have come from Adelaide early this morning, wearing their Melbourne polos and shorts.

Player welfare manager Craig Lees arrives and chaperones them to the Barracks.

Neeld is the first to walk up and welcome and congratulate them both, followed by Craig. Co-captain Jack Grimes is next, then leader Nathan Jones. Luke Tapscott walks up and greets them both, but catches up instantly with Clisby, as the duo played together at North Adelaide.

The other players and staff soon introduce themselves to the new rookies.

Soon everyone moves into the common room and wolfs into their massive packed lunch. It’s just like the first day: two sandwiches, a pear, an orange, a muesli bar, two biscuits and a fruit drink. The other day, there was also fruit cake. I’m not sure if there wasn’t any today or if I dipped out, but I’ve certainly made up for it as a takeaway snack after dinner!

12.30 pm

Two coaches have arrived for our almost three hour trek to Jabiru.

Players are in the first bus that leaves. Coaches and officials are in the second one. There is plenty of room on the coaches and officials bus, which is an opportune time to spread out - many with laptops.

Our driver Phil welcomes us on board, saying, “I’m a West Coast Eagles supporter and member and I love footy, but I’m glad to have you on board”.

Soon into our journey, Bose headphones are as common as a crocodile story on the front page of the NT News.

And from where I’m sitting, which is five rows from the back of the coach, I can see Neeld, backline coach Jade Rawlings, development backline coach Andrew Nichol, Dr Dan Bates, strength and conditioning manager Rob Jackson, strategic relationships manager Tom Parker, media manager Ryan Larkin and video guru Jack McCowan are all wearing the awesome noise cancellation headphones. (For the record, I’ve got a pair sitting in the front of my seat pocket, but I’m writing this diary entry).

It’s fair to say they’re popular among the Melbourne contingent. (Cue: Hello, Bose, would you like to become a proud sponsor of the Melbourne Football Club?)

Music man Rawlings is really getting into something. In fact, the only noise I can hear on the bus - apart from the whirring air conditioner - is Rawlings tapping the seat and slapping his knees. My tip is Foo Fighters. Football analyst Robbie Chancellor, sitting opposite Rawlings, is also right into whatever he’s listening to. In fact, out of the corner of my eye, I can see some ripping air drums.

Having driven through the brilliantly-named ‘Humpty Doo’, we later stop for snacks and drinks at the Bark Hut Inn.

A stuffed crocodile and buffalo, plus a croc skin on the wall, plus some advertisements hanging on the wall from a bygone era, are part of the charm inside.

3.45 pm

We arrive at Jabiru, just more than 250 km east from Darwin, and check into the Holiday Inn. It’s a fascinating building, as it’s shaped like a crocodile.

The group quickly drops off its gear and heads to the local Jabiru Oval.

The players conduct some clinics in very hot conditions. You can tell it’s hotter than Darwin.

It’s fascinating to watch Stark and Clisby in action. On their first day at the Melbourne Football Club they’re helping conduct a clinic in Jabiru. When you stop and think about it, it’s quite remarkable. But it’s a great story.

At one stage, Stark kicks the footy with some kids and Clisby helps with the marking bag, which allows the youngsters to take some speccies. One kid, about 10 to 12 years old, has an incredible leap on him. Even the Melbourne boys are impressed.

Towards the end of the session, the local fire brigade brings some relief in the stifling conditions, hosing down the kids and the players. And after an autograph and photo opportunity session, it’s back to the Holiday Inn.

5.40 pm

Just before dinner at 6 pm, the Melbourne contingent is given a welcome to country by the traditional owners of the land. The Demons are then treated to a cultural performance, which includes dancing, didge and rhythm sticks. Interestingly, we learned that the didge originated from the Kakadu region.

Jack Grimes then thanks the indigenous group for their welcome and music.

Then it’s upstairs for a BBQ ‘grub’, featuring kangaroo and barramundi, and a fair old feast. The barra was particularly good!

After dinner, Neeld, Bates and football operations manager Craig Notman address the group about Thursday’s hike.

Health and safety is paramount, but Neeld is adamant it’s akin to a fourth training session for the Demons. But he does it in a manner that’s clear, direct and with rationale.

At this stage, just about everyone in the 70-odd touring party will be hiking - at least parts of it, anyway.

But even Daniel Nicholson, one of Melbourne’s most elite runners, says the hike will be a challenge.

“I was thinking it was going to be all right, until the other day, when we spent an hour out in the sun for a clinic,” he says.

“We didn’t really recognise how hot it was until then, but I think it should be good. No doubt it’ll test us again, but we’ll pull through just fine.”

We’ll be up at 4.30 am, for a 5 am breakfast, and then we’ll be on our way. 

It will be a test, but it’ll be a day to remember.