COLIN Sylvia says the ability to test his physical and mental ability in three stifling skills sessions were his personal highlights from Melbourne’s nine day pre-season camp in the Northern Territory.
Sylvia said that the chance to test his mettle in the heat and humidity was one of the best challenges in the Top End.
“We came up here to get some hard training in challenging conditions,” he told melbournefc.com.au.
“We had three major skills sessions, which the boys got a lot out of – the first one was extremely hot - the heat was almost unbearable.
“But to the boys’ credit, we got through and acclimatised to the conditions and the most I got out of the [camp] was the three big skills sessions. We had a stoppage day, an offensive day and a ball moving day, and I think the challenging conditions are what we’ll take home.”
Sylvia said it didn’t get easier from the first session through to the last training run.
“You get acclimatised to the weather, and by the end I felt a little bit fitter and got some more out of it, but I was still sweating as much as I did on day one.”
Sylvia said the camp also provided a great opportunity to learn about his new teammates, given the club has 13 new players on its list for 2013, plus Jesse Hogan, who is already with the club, but will officially become a Demon-listed player in 2014.
“I think that’s what footy camps are about – bonding together and getting to know each other on a deeper level, which we did. And what better way for the younger boys coming in to get to know all of the boys,” he said.
But Sylvia said the 30 km hike through Kakadu National Park was a great moment to savour.
“It was definitely challenging,” he said.
“There were some long roads, but it was a great experience in Kakadu, with some sacred areas with a lot of history.
“So I think the boys got a lot out of it.”
Sylvia said Gubara Pool was the highlight of the walk.
“The water hole couldn’t have come any quicker,” he said.
“After a long hike and in the middle of nowhere, there was this nice big water hole, and all the boys jumped in and went for a swim.
“It was definitely the highlight of the walk.”
But Sylvia also said the pool session run by Sgt. Jason Colquhoun, the physical training instructor at Robertson Barracks, wasn’t an easy feat.
“It was very good. We’ve been lucky enough to have a couple of PT (personal training) sessions from one of the army PTIs (personal training instructors),” he said
“We were dragging big tyres through the water and big poles … so it was a bit of fun, but being day nine, the boys were pretty exhausted.
“It’s been a great experience, and something that none of us would’ve done and the boys have got plenty out of it.”
Colquhoun said that such training was used by the army.
“It’s one of the sessions we do run with the army boys up here,” he said.
“We sink the tyres to the bottom of the deep end - basically they’ve got to float them and get the equipment to the far end and set it up as an artillery piece and then fire off some medicine balls as bombs.”
