LOAD analyst Katy Mouritz gives melbournefc.com.au the lowdown on her day in Brisbane. This round 18 game was a Saturday night match at the Gabba on Saturday 31st July. The Demons beat the Lions by 10 points.
7:00 - Multiple alarms are going off as I drag myself out of bed.
8:00 - Gather all my gear and head out the door. Make a quick stop at the local bakery to get breakfast, before making my way down the freeway to the airport.
9:00 - Arrive at the airport. Check-in some of my gear. I always carry on the GPS units and laptop to ensure they reach their destination in one piece, which makes getting through the airport security checkpoint interesting (I’m always asked to open the case and then I get asked what on earth the units are).
10:05 - The plane departs the terminal and we’re off, bound for Brisbane.
12:15 - One of the most terrifying landings I have experienced as the plane literally bounces into Brisbane. Glad to be back on solid ground, I collect the rest of my gear from the baggage carousel and hop in a taxi with some of the other staff.
1:00 - We all arrive at the hotel. My roomie, Annice Burdeu and I leave our gear in the hotel room and admire the bathroom TV before getting a bite to eat.
2:05 - Great weather in Brisbane, nice and warm. So good to get away from the cold winter in Melbourne. Annice and I join Shane Allen and John Stanaway for a walk along the banks of the Brisbane River.
3:30 - Back at the hotel, it’s time to check over my gear and get it all ready to go.
4:15 - We pile into Browny’s van and drive to the Gabba to set up for the big game.
4:30 - At the ground I get straight to work helping out the other fitness staff (Val Stoimenov and Adam Paulo) with their preparation. Firstly we make up the fluids for the individual players’ drink bottles to be consumed during the half-time break. Then we move onto making the protein shakes for consumption after the game as part of the team’s recovery.
5:10 - All the players arrive at the ground.
5:30 - I make my way across the ground to our interchange bench, to set up the laptop, tripod and wireless GPS receiver.
5:45 - Finish configuring and labelling the GPS units. Start getting the GPS straps ready for the players and labelling them, so it’s easy to tell which strap should be going to which player.
6:40 - Under the pump as the players finish their first warm-up earlier than usual. With all the units turned on, Val and I start handing them out to the players.
7:00 - Out on the ground, all the players are wearing their units as they run through the banner.
7:10 - The game starts as I begin the wireless GPS data streaming on my laptop. During the game, I can track the movements and running patterns of all our players, monitoring physical measurements throughout such as their distance, speed, work rate and number of sprints in different speed zones. Beside me is Adam, who monitors the rotations from the bench. I constantly update him on the players’ GPS data, so he can see if any players have had an intense block of game time and may need a rest on the bench.
8:15 - It’s half time and everyone is buzzing in the rooms as we have a good lead at the break. I rush around refilling the players’ drink bottles for the bench and doing any other odd jobs as they arise.
8:30 - The third quarter is about to start and I find myself using some of the strapping tape I have in my pocket to stick part of Bails’ headset back together (strapping tape comes in handy for so many things).
9:45 - After a tense time carefully analysing the GPS statistics, the match is over and we’ve hung on for a good win.
10:00 - The boys have emphatically sung the song and it’s time to pack up. I collect all the dirty GPS straps and give them to Browny for washing. I place all the units back in their case and then help pack up anything else that still needs doing.
10:40 - We board the team bus and go to the Pineapple Hotel for dinner.
12:00 - Finally back at our hotel, I plug my units in to recharge and start downloading the data. It is almost the end of another long but successful day.
7:00 - Multiple alarms are going off as I drag myself out of bed.
8:00 - Gather all my gear and head out the door. Make a quick stop at the local bakery to get breakfast, before making my way down the freeway to the airport.
9:00 - Arrive at the airport. Check-in some of my gear. I always carry on the GPS units and laptop to ensure they reach their destination in one piece, which makes getting through the airport security checkpoint interesting (I’m always asked to open the case and then I get asked what on earth the units are).
10:05 - The plane departs the terminal and we’re off, bound for Brisbane.
12:15 - One of the most terrifying landings I have experienced as the plane literally bounces into Brisbane. Glad to be back on solid ground, I collect the rest of my gear from the baggage carousel and hop in a taxi with some of the other staff.
1:00 - We all arrive at the hotel. My roomie, Annice Burdeu and I leave our gear in the hotel room and admire the bathroom TV before getting a bite to eat.
2:05 - Great weather in Brisbane, nice and warm. So good to get away from the cold winter in Melbourne. Annice and I join Shane Allen and John Stanaway for a walk along the banks of the Brisbane River.
3:30 - Back at the hotel, it’s time to check over my gear and get it all ready to go.
4:15 - We pile into Browny’s van and drive to the Gabba to set up for the big game.
4:30 - At the ground I get straight to work helping out the other fitness staff (Val Stoimenov and Adam Paulo) with their preparation. Firstly we make up the fluids for the individual players’ drink bottles to be consumed during the half-time break. Then we move onto making the protein shakes for consumption after the game as part of the team’s recovery.
5:10 - All the players arrive at the ground.
5:30 - I make my way across the ground to our interchange bench, to set up the laptop, tripod and wireless GPS receiver.
5:45 - Finish configuring and labelling the GPS units. Start getting the GPS straps ready for the players and labelling them, so it’s easy to tell which strap should be going to which player.
6:40 - Under the pump as the players finish their first warm-up earlier than usual. With all the units turned on, Val and I start handing them out to the players.
7:00 - Out on the ground, all the players are wearing their units as they run through the banner.
7:10 - The game starts as I begin the wireless GPS data streaming on my laptop. During the game, I can track the movements and running patterns of all our players, monitoring physical measurements throughout such as their distance, speed, work rate and number of sprints in different speed zones. Beside me is Adam, who monitors the rotations from the bench. I constantly update him on the players’ GPS data, so he can see if any players have had an intense block of game time and may need a rest on the bench.
8:15 - It’s half time and everyone is buzzing in the rooms as we have a good lead at the break. I rush around refilling the players’ drink bottles for the bench and doing any other odd jobs as they arise.
8:30 - The third quarter is about to start and I find myself using some of the strapping tape I have in my pocket to stick part of Bails’ headset back together (strapping tape comes in handy for so many things).
9:45 - After a tense time carefully analysing the GPS statistics, the match is over and we’ve hung on for a good win.
10:00 - The boys have emphatically sung the song and it’s time to pack up. I collect all the dirty GPS straps and give them to Browny for washing. I place all the units back in their case and then help pack up anything else that still needs doing.
10:40 - We board the team bus and go to the Pineapple Hotel for dinner.
12:00 - Finally back at our hotel, I plug my units in to recharge and start downloading the data. It is almost the end of another long but successful day.
