G’day Tiger Army, and welcome to the blog for Day 2 of Pre-Season Camp. 

The day dawned wet and humid. About 60 millimetres of rain fell overnight, so the conditions outside were very soggy. 

After a sizeable, carbohydrate-loaded breakfast, we held a cultural session. The new draftees are building their understanding of what it means to be a Richmond person and the values, attributes and behaviours associated with same. The cultural meeting then flowed into the various line meetings. I joined the Forwards. The meeting was facilitated by Chris Newman as Forwards Coach. We ran through footage of a stoppage with a resulting forward chain. As an outside person looking in, it always amazes me the granularity of play phase analysis whether it be stoppage positioning, running lanes, decision making, opponent corralling and so on. And the terminology used to describe same can be discombobulating to a mere spectator like myself, but it’s amazing to have the opportunity to see the footage and hear the conversations, and I’d like to thank Seth Campbell for taking the time to translate for me!

We then ventured outdoors to the Twin Waters Football Oval, braving the continual rain to hold what is called a Craft session. The session involves drills focussed on the fundamentals of football. Given we play a winter sport, it was appropriate that we test our skills on a sodden field. The players embraced the opportunity and, while always focussed on skills execution, there was some good-natured banter between the line groups if someone was to make an error. The Forwards beat the Backs in a couple of drills, so a celebratory water slide was in order!

After lunch, we ventured to the Maroochydore Multi Sports Complex for some full field football drills. Before commencing, we were graciously welcomed by the Mayor of the Sunshine Coast Council. Then it was down to a hard session in the wet. In horse racing parlons, the oval could be best described as a Heavy 10. There was even a duck residing in a puddle near the forward pocket. But the players really embraced the conditions and the opportunity, and worked hard on full field ball movement drills, running drills and pressured goal opportunity drills. All in all, it was a hard, yet rewarding, session, and it was great to see our new draftees work up close, and the on-field coaching and mentoring by our senior players.

An exciting and busy day, with many turning in for an early night after a lovely dinner.

Speak tomorrow. Go Tiges.