IT’S MONDAY morning.
The boys have just completed their weights session at AAMI Park and now it’s time to hop on the bus and head to our community camp at Leongatha/Inverloch.
All the boys are looking forward to not only getting away, but also getting out into a community area many of us have never visited.
The mood on the bus is buzzing, apart from a few of the lads, such as Jared Rivers, who is disappointed to be missing out on Valentine’s Day with his girl.
Apparently he had some romantic plans, but they’ve been ruined for the day. On top of this, his bag keeps going missing. This only puts him in a grumpier mood.
I have a two seater all to myself, so I’m feeling rather happy, until the last minute when Matty Warnock sits next to me! This is a clear sign to plug in the iPod otherwise the two-hour trip could seem like four!
Once we arrive in Leongatha we head straight to a Civic reception.
Yet I head straight to the toilet, as I’ve been busting for about an hour!
We have something to eat and are welcomed by Mayor Warren Raabe from the South Gippsland Shire Council.
Dean and Greeny then speak, thanking the town for having us, while mentioning how excited we are to be guests in their community.
We go straight from the reception to a superclinic, where we are divided into six groups. I’m in the tackling group. Kids with tackling bags are like a red rag to a bull!
The kids are really enthusiastic and appreciative and it’s great to see quite a few Melbourne supporters too, which is nice.
Liam Jurrah seems to be a favourite among the kids. I can’t seem to work out why.
It’s not like he’s very exciting. Maybe it’s because of his new haircut!
Whatever the reason, he’s a definite favourite, along with Aaron Davey and Colin Sylvia.
After the clinic, we head across to the local pool for a recovery session.
It’s always interesting to see the efforts certain people put in with their tan. Stefan Martin has been a real bolter in this area over summer!
We then head to the RACV Inverloch Resort, which is where we are staying. I must say it’s a great place. There are lots of things to do and it has a great restaurant and a really good games room.
Unfortunately, my worst fear is realised. We are roomed together alphabetically, which means I’m with Jack ‘Good Times’ Grimes. His nickname ‘Good Times’ is actually sarcastic, because the bloke is more serious than a funeral!
Some of the boys, who are doing coaching courses, trained a local side, while the rest of us played some games.
Next morning we were up at 7:30am. But it could have been a lot worse for me. But unfortunately young Jeremy Howe’s plan of setting my alarm at 3:30am didn’t work, as I checked it before I went to sleep.
You would think being a fellow Tasmanian he would go easy on me, but this wasn’t the case. It’s something to store in the memory bank.
The next morning, we headed to Inverloch Football Ground.
It was a great day and it seemed like the whole town was there to watch us. The local school came out and watched us. As we warmed up, the kids were sitting right in front of us, which was fun. We had a fairly solid session, which went for around an hour. We also had some of the local Gippsland Power boys train with us, which was great to see.
After training, we signed some autographs with the kids, and chatted with the locals.
After that it was time to get back on the bus and head home. It would have been great to stay a few more days, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case.
It was a really good experience. The thing that struck me was just how appreciative the people were having us there. But we got just as much out of it as they did.
A big thank-you must go to everyone involved in organising the camp, with a special thanks to our community team: Glenn Balmforth, Dani West and Deb Lee, who ensured a smooth camp.
The boys have just completed their weights session at AAMI Park and now it’s time to hop on the bus and head to our community camp at Leongatha/Inverloch.
All the boys are looking forward to not only getting away, but also getting out into a community area many of us have never visited.
The mood on the bus is buzzing, apart from a few of the lads, such as Jared Rivers, who is disappointed to be missing out on Valentine’s Day with his girl.
Apparently he had some romantic plans, but they’ve been ruined for the day. On top of this, his bag keeps going missing. This only puts him in a grumpier mood.
I have a two seater all to myself, so I’m feeling rather happy, until the last minute when Matty Warnock sits next to me! This is a clear sign to plug in the iPod otherwise the two-hour trip could seem like four!
Once we arrive in Leongatha we head straight to a Civic reception.
Yet I head straight to the toilet, as I’ve been busting for about an hour!
We have something to eat and are welcomed by Mayor Warren Raabe from the South Gippsland Shire Council.
Dean and Greeny then speak, thanking the town for having us, while mentioning how excited we are to be guests in their community.
We go straight from the reception to a superclinic, where we are divided into six groups. I’m in the tackling group. Kids with tackling bags are like a red rag to a bull!
The kids are really enthusiastic and appreciative and it’s great to see quite a few Melbourne supporters too, which is nice.
Liam Jurrah seems to be a favourite among the kids. I can’t seem to work out why.
It’s not like he’s very exciting. Maybe it’s because of his new haircut!
Whatever the reason, he’s a definite favourite, along with Aaron Davey and Colin Sylvia.
After the clinic, we head across to the local pool for a recovery session.
It’s always interesting to see the efforts certain people put in with their tan. Stefan Martin has been a real bolter in this area over summer!
We then head to the RACV Inverloch Resort, which is where we are staying. I must say it’s a great place. There are lots of things to do and it has a great restaurant and a really good games room.
Unfortunately, my worst fear is realised. We are roomed together alphabetically, which means I’m with Jack ‘Good Times’ Grimes. His nickname ‘Good Times’ is actually sarcastic, because the bloke is more serious than a funeral!
Some of the boys, who are doing coaching courses, trained a local side, while the rest of us played some games.
Next morning we were up at 7:30am. But it could have been a lot worse for me. But unfortunately young Jeremy Howe’s plan of setting my alarm at 3:30am didn’t work, as I checked it before I went to sleep.
You would think being a fellow Tasmanian he would go easy on me, but this wasn’t the case. It’s something to store in the memory bank.
The next morning, we headed to Inverloch Football Ground.
It was a great day and it seemed like the whole town was there to watch us. The local school came out and watched us. As we warmed up, the kids were sitting right in front of us, which was fun. We had a fairly solid session, which went for around an hour. We also had some of the local Gippsland Power boys train with us, which was great to see.
After training, we signed some autographs with the kids, and chatted with the locals.
After that it was time to get back on the bus and head home. It would have been great to stay a few more days, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case.
It was a really good experience. The thing that struck me was just how appreciative the people were having us there. But we got just as much out of it as they did.
A big thank-you must go to everyone involved in organising the camp, with a special thanks to our community team: Glenn Balmforth, Dani West and Deb Lee, who ensured a smooth camp.
