Clark, who is recovering from a serious foot injury, says meeting and talking to army personnel at the SRC gave him perspective about his rehabilitation.
“It definitely [does] ... what you’re going through at the moment doesn’t seem as bad, compared to someone recovering from a physical or mental injury from service,” he told melbournefc.com.au.
“It definitely snaps you back into working harder and trying to improve.”
Clark said it was also a great opportunity to discuss rehab methods and programs from injury.
“It’s been good to bounce different things off each other and see what they do and what they experience,” he said.
“Obviously, it’s a lot different to what we’re experiencing, but to see some of the sessions they’re doing - they’re working hard and they’re very professional in the way they do things.
“They’re quite disciplined as well, so it’s exciting to be here.”
During his visit to the SRC, Clark also gave Lance Corporal (LCpl) Gill a surprise, when he presented her with her new rank slide. The huge Demons supporter and big fan of Clark had become Corporal (Cpl) Gill.
Lt. Col. Paul Duncan, who is chief of staff, said the SRC was set up to give its soldiers “the best chance possible to recover from complex injuries and illnesses, which are sometimes sustained in operations”.
“It provides the soldiers with an opportunity to reassess where they are. We deal with psychological things, as well as physical. We also provide welfare support to the soldiers, with the intent of getting them back into their past employment within the services,” he said.
“If they’re no longer suitable for that, due to injuries sustained, then we try to find another role within the army or, more broadly - the air force or the navy. If that’s not viable, then we try to ease their transition out of the services as simply as possible.”
Duncan said staff also needed guidance when working in the SRC.
“There are complexities to the cases,” he said.
“There are a lot of emotions involved, particularly with the guys that have suffered injuries during combat operations.
“Sometimes they may have seen bad things happen to good friends, so it’s a particularly complex area.”
But Duncan said having Melbourne stay at the Barracks had given everyone a boost.
“It’s great for the soldiers to actually see elite athletes around the area,” he said.
“Soldiers traditionally follow a number of codes of football, but even the rugby heads are getting into having the Demons around.
“You often see them training alongside the Demons, trying to compete, but not in a direct sense.”
