Richmond fans are famous for their loyalty and there may be no more loyal Tiger than Andrew Sloman. Despite being based in New Zealand, “Slowy” rarely misses a game, travelling all across the country to follow the yellow and black. He has also often joined the team on their pre-season training camps, including making the trip to Arizona some years back. “Slowy” is with the team on their pre-season camp on the Sunshine Coast this week and we thought it would be great to get a fans perspective on what he sees on the camp and what excites him most about season 2018.
Day 2
Up early this morning preparing for a big day ahead. Breakfast was at 6.30am sharp and the playing group were breaking the door down! The temperature was already 23 degrees and with high humidity. Perfect conditions ahead for hard work and heat loading.
We met at 7.30am with the coaching group, prior to the players, to run through the training schedule for the day, the drills and tasks being run, and ways in which we can assist. We were offered tasks such as water bottle running, ball management, tackle bag holding and general player support. All tasks were readily accepted. The drills for the morning session at Maroochydore Multisports Complex were coded to such names as “Castagna Chaos”, “Miles Circuit” and a few others. To the layperson, the drills included 14 on 14 match simulation, repeated 150m sprints, six on five and three on two ball drills and goal kicking of course. The players then entered the room and were briefed.
VIDEO: Rioli's first running session
The session at the ground was an open one and it was great to see so many local supporters present, together with a few familiar faces from Melbourne who had timed their holidays incredibly well! I know the playing group were excited to have so many supporting what was classed as a heavy loading session for them. You could sense that excitement through the positivity and exuberance which they exhibited, particularly with the goal kicking challenge. In the 150m sprint challenge, I was tasked as acting as a “lure” for Alex Rance and Jayden Short. I tried my best but the 40m head start proved to be inadequate! The rehab group appears to be quite small, with only Daniel Rioli and Shaun Hampson taking a limited part. Daniel ran for the first time this pre-season, a great sign. It was good to see the new draftees in action up close and I was impressed with Nathan Broad’s efforts and communication throughout the session.
We then went to the beach for a swim. I attach a photo of fellow attendee Michael Dossor and myself after our rehab swim. The players are behind us enjoying the surf!
After lunch, we rotated through sessions based on line groups. The sessions included strength, line work, grappling and a really interesting soft skills session about you as a person, and defining what is your direction in life. I don’t want to discuss the theme and activities of the session in too much detail, but I’ve really noticed a difference from the Arizona Camp in 2011 to today, where the soft skill sessions regarding personal development and connectivity to the group are far more prevalent than then.
Dinner was held on the beach. We then watched the movie Senna in the open air while partaking in ice-creams and popcorn. All cleared by the dieticians of course!
Another heavy load day awaits tomorrow!
