WITHIN hours of getting off the plane in Dubai, the runners were on, sunscreen applied and we were out on the field getting our second training camp in the United Arab Emirates underway.
The heavy legs, courtesy of a 13-hour plane trip, were replaced by the anticipation and nervous energy of what was to come.
Everyone was wondering how Burgo and Kenny were going to make this year’s camp harder than the previous one, as they assured us they would.
But the group put aside any apprehensions coming into the camp and attacked the first day at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex as we've come to expect – with great determination and a collective will to get the job done together.
Kane Cornes led the way.
It’s just inspiring for all to see a bloke who is pushing himself to new limits 15 years into his football career.
For our new draftees, Dougal Howard, Logan Austin, Jesse Palmer and Billy Frampton and rookie Johann Wagner it was a baptism of fire.
As promised, Day 1 of Dubai 2014 was clearly a step up on last year, but everyone did their part in keeping morale strong and making sure the session was at an elite standard.
There were more repeat hundreds than I’d like to recall and little recovery time and the Dubai heat that Burgo loves was certainly there, making it a truly punishing start to our campaign.
The amazing facilities at 'NAS' definitely added to the eagerness and novelty of training abroad.
The complex is equipped with everything an athlete could ever want, with some sections of the facilities just blowing the minds of myself and others.
It’s clearly above and beyond any sporting facility I’ve ever seen and there’s no doubt we’re fortunate to have been invited to train here.
The NAS staff have certainly gone out of their way to make us feel at home - creating a Port Adelaide banner on the main indoor training building and they’ve erected signage around the running track displaying our major sponsors EnergyAustralia and Renault.
It's a nice touch, although you don’t seem to notice them as much when you’re gasping for air.
By late in the afternoon we were done…well, almost.
We still had to make a short bike ride back to our hotel, with a little hill just to make things a bit uncomfortable at the end.
It was nice to finally put the feet up and relax. One day down, only seven more to go!
