HEAD of high performance Ian McKeown spoke to the media at Adelaide Airport ahead of Port Adelaide’s pre-season camp on the Sunshine Coast.
McKeown on the facilities in Maroochydore:
“I think what we’ve done is probably upgraded from last year.
“We had a fantastic camp last year and had 100 per cent success rate with what we did, but I think this year, we have better facilities down in Maroochydore.
“The ovals are absolutely first-class - we had some pictures through the other day and they are looking really good.
“The gym and the accommodation facilities are just top-notch. They are probably the best I’ve seen in Australia from a private facility point of view.
“We are really looking forward to getting stuck in.
McKeown on what he expects from the camp:
“We are looking for a large training load.
“Lots of footy. Lots of fun. And lots of time with each other.
“It’s about being away with each other for that long - in each other’s pockets. That’s probably the biggest part.
“The training load is the highest we will have pre-Christmas, so that is obviously a great part of it and that’s a bonding experience at the best of times.
“We will be spending a lot of time together and that will organically create a better team environment.
McKeown on what the players will be doing throughout the camp:
“There is training every day, with football every other day.
“We will do craft. We will do skills in between. There will also be individual running sessions, but we try to get as much of the running done in the main training sessions if possible.
“Throughout the day there will be two maybe three sessions they will go through, along side education sessions and game-plan stuff.
“Plus, the more bonding experiences at night time as well.
McKeown on the why it is good to get away as a group:
“We have prepared ourselves to make this the biggest week of the pre-season so far.
“If we were back here, we would probably do the same amount of load - it’s just a little bit easier whenever you are away from all the other distractions of being back home.
“That is probably the camp effect we get from it.
McKeown on the importance of this camp for the players:
“This is the crucial time.
“If they get through this, it sets up the Christmas period and then we really only have four or five weeks until intra-club and the Marsh Community Series.
“They have to be ready. They have to hit January very, very hard. This is the key cornerstone of that.
McKeown on some of the players who have been limited in training so far:
“We’ve got the guys who started off the pre-season on limited capacity.
“So, the Jack Watts’ and Hamish Hartlett’s of the world who are coming back from post-season surgery, but they are in fantastic shape and hopefully we will get them into drills.
“Get them integrated into as much as we can throughout the pre-season.
McKeown on heat training:
“It just adds a little bit extra to the load and the stress they put themselves under.
“It’s just that extra few per cent that makes the heart-rate go higher, which makes them work harder, which makes the sweat-rate higher.
“It just makes it that little bit harder. That’s all we are looking for from it.
McKeown on the draftees:
“We are getting them into nearly everything.
“They will do full sessions for the first time since they’ve been to the club, which is really exciting for them because they get showcase themselves with the big boys.
“They have some surprises in store, but they will have a great time.
