Welcome Tiger Army to this year’s edition of the Camp Blog. It’s great to be back on my 9th camp, and I hope to take you along for the journey with me.

Day 1 was planned to be a very big day, so the buffet breakfast opening at 6.30am was a popular spot for the players, as was the barista station!

Fuelled up, we held a full team and staff meeting at 7.45am. Marcus Krasnadamskis had arrived in Yarrawonga the night previous and was introduced to the group by Ivan Maric. Krasnadamskis, who is of Lithuanian descent, spoke about his life and playing history. And Ivan then impressed us all with his knowledge of famous Lithuanian basketballers! Welcome Marcus.

We then introduced Dylan Mangan to the Group. Dylan is the son of Tony Mangan, of whom the Preseason Camp Award is named after. It is 10 years since Tony’s passing and Dylan explained to the playing group his Dad’s love of the Club and commitment to supporting the playing group. The Camp award is based on Tony’s “non-negotiables” of how he lived his life, and Dylan did a wonderful job in explaining these to the group.

We then broke into our line groups and I joined the Midfield Group for a “Richmond Man” session hosted by Sam Lonergan and Blake Caracella. The session focused on building connection through the greater understanding of each other. Our next rotation as a group was to the Priority Gym in downtown Yarrawonga for a number of strength and conditioning circuits. Whilst I’m not a regular frequenter of gyms, the players were really impressed with the facility. The final rotation for the morning was in the pool.

After lunch, the footballs came out and the line groups did three fun touch activities, including what I would describe as “Footy Cricket”. The players took to all three with high energy and competitiveness. It seemed to my eye that the activities are designed to improve football handling and test reflexes.

We then moved in convoy to the JC Lowe Oval in Yarrawonga for an open training session. The oval is located in a beautiful setting down by the Murray River, and is the home of the Yarrawonga Pigeons Football and Netball Club. Famous Pigeons Tiger alumni include Craig Ednie, who played for us in the early 2000’s. I think I spotted Craig in the very healthy Tiger Army crowd that had rolled in. The support was wonderful. I spoke to one Tiger who had driven down from Berrigan in South West New South Wales. The players completed a number of drills with focus on ball transition, defensive pressure and forward craft. Thankfully the high winds died down as the session progressed. At the conclusion, Adem gave his feedback to the group and the conclusion was that it was a good session and day.

We finished the day back at the hotel with a quick Shane McCurry Richmond Man session, then dinner. All in all, a great start to the Camp. Speak tomorrow Tiger Army!