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Day 1

6.30am
After over 24 hours of air travel which took us from Adelaide to Sydney, Sydney to Abu Dhabi and then from Abu Dhabi to Milan we finally touched down in the fashion capital of the world. Not that we looked all that fashionable ourselves. I, along with the majority of the group, had trackies and a T-Shirt on for comfort, were quite scruffy and hadn't showered for a day. Nonetheless we were all very excited to touch down and officially commence a rigorous pre-season training campaign and an opportunity to take in some wondeful Italian culture.

The weather gods however didn't shine opon us on day one. After leaving Abu Dhabi in the wee hours at 26 degrees we arrived in Milan six and a half hours later greeted by drizzling rain and three degrees. It was fair to say most of the boys, including myself, were a little underdressed as we made our way through the chilly terminal.


Stewy was out cold on our flight to Milan

7.30am
It took us all around an hour or so to get through customs and to locate our luggage. By some miracle, we somehow didn't lose one piece of luggage along the way. In fact, no one had lost their passports either which was a bonus so the boys were up and about as we made our way towards our chartered bus. Just when we thought everything was running smoothly we soon realised we had a bus but unfortunately no driver. Peter Rohde and Stuart Cochrane were pacing around trying to locate our driver.

We assumed that he might have been inside enjoying an early morning Italian latte but after several minutes no driver turned up holding a sign reading "Port Adelaide Football Club." Then, when all seemed lost, our head trainer Shane Worner peered from a distance and saw a body laying on the back seat of our locked up bus. Well it turned out to be our driver who decided to sleep on the job while he waited for us. Not a good start, and it didn't get much better when we soon realised that he couldn't speak a word of English. It was like the blind leading the blind but we eventually made our way to the city centre of Milan.

8.30am
We arrived in the city centre of Milan and immediately noticed the magnificent architecture. Given it was an early Sunday morning we had the cobble-stoned streets almost to ourselves for the first hour so as the boys lapped up the sights. Big Reddo, Jarrad Redden, certainly looked every bit the tourist taking photos at every single landmark and there were plenty of them. By 9.30am we needed to escape the cold and drizzle for a while and a group of us grabbed a cappucino in the heart of Milan Centre. All the while, our players and coaches broke into separate groups soaking up the great Italian atmosphere.

After my coffee, we looked around a little more admiring the scenery and then we were confronted by an absolute masterful piece of architecture in the Il Duomo cathedral in the heart of the city which would rival Westminster Abbey for it's stature, appeal and charm. Once we admired some more sights, it was time for a bit of shopping and I purchased a jacket and a scarfe. I know it's pretty fancy for Port Adelaide but I thought I might as well given we were in the fashion capital of the world and I actually thought I pulled it off ok.

By around midday we were all feeling a bit peckish so I sampled some delicious Italian cuisine in the form of Lasagne. I tell you it wasn't bad but it still couldn't beat my old host family's lasagne back in Adelaide. After lunch I felt I needed to work off the carbs, so Hitchy and I hired some very retro style push bikes and cruised around the streets for a while.


Getting around Milan by bike...not a bad way to see the city

1pm
The players and coaches gathered back at our bus in Milan city centre and thankfully our bus driver was there and awake because the rain had become quite heavy and consistent by this point and we were keen to get to the AIS which ill be our destination for the next few days.The bus trip took just under an hour and we marvelled at not only how green and leafy the country surrounds were, but also at the snow that was covering the top of the nearby mountains. It was a spectacular journey.

2pm
We arrived at the AIS training facility and were suitably impressed by it's modern amenities and the professionalism of the staff. On our arrival we were also greeted by team mates Brad Ebert, Matthew Lobbe, Matthew Broadbent, Alipate Carlile and Hamish Hartlett who all joined us from existing overseas holidays. It was great to re-unite the majority of the team again (a few of the older players like Dom, Kane, Schulzy and Westy were entitled to another week off to enjoy with their families and new recruits Lewis Stevenson ans Campbell Heath will meet us in London) especially so we could all meet and greet our new coaching group headed by new senior coach Ken Hinkley and coaching director Alan Richardson along with of course the return of our fitness coach Darren Burgess. After a quick meet and greet to run through some formalities with the AIS staff we all quickly checked into our rooms and got changed ahead of our first run together.

2.30pm
Darren Burgess took the group on a 30 minute run around the AIS facility which is on the edge of a picturesque lake. The run allowed us to stretch our legs and really blow some cob webs out after 24 hours of travelling. After our run and stretch we hit the weights room while some players in rehab were put through a rigorous circuit.


Taking in some of the sights in Milan

3.30pm
For a couple of hours we were allowed to relax in our rooms and I hopped in the shower to freshen up which was long overdue given the time since my last shower. After doing a bit of reading and watching the EPL match between Everton and Liverpool we needed to be downstairs for a team meeting and dinner.

6pm
The football department called a brief meeting and Ken Hinkley reinforced how good an opportunity this was and that we were to work very, very hard and not waste a minute. There was a real sense of urgency and expectation in what he was saying and I could feel around the room that the players understood this opportunity and were determined to kick start our pre-season on a very positive note. The two things that Ken stressed and demanded the most was a professional team-first approach and an ability to trust in your team mates. What he said really inspired everyone in the room and left us all in no doubt that if you didn't comply to these basic philosophies then you wouldn't last too long in the team.

6.15pm
After the meeting we enjoyed a light meal and soon after we all retreated to bed still jet lagged but really looking forward to day 2 in Milan which will include a training run with footballs and a tour of the world reknowned GreenEdge cycling facility.