WATCH our visit to AC Milan above on PTV. Can't view the video? Watch on YouTube

Day 4

8am
The coaching and fitness group gave us the option of a sleep in and I took advantage of it as my body clock is just starting to get adjusted to Milan time. Only issue is we're leaving tonight so that's not much use now. Anyhow, I had a pretty good sleep and after a quick shower felt ready for another big day in Italy.

8.30am
A light breakfast of toast and cereal finished off with some fruit and water and I was ready to go for training. Made sure I had plenty of fuel in the tank because the word going around is that this morning's training session is going to be very, very solid.

10am
After a 20 minute bus ride we arrived at our training venue, the same soccer pitch that we trained at on Monday. Unlike two days ago, this morning was not only chilly but very foggy and misty. The oval was also pretty dewey which was going to make ball handling a little tricky. Regardless, the boys were pumped and began with another running season with fitness coach Darren Burgess. Light skills followed where there was a strong focus on honing our skills on both sides of our body.



We then did a tackling drill with an emphasis on our tackling technique and trying to work on giving the ball cleanly by hand under pressure. However, by far the most demanding drill was a handball game pitting six on six within a square of around 20 metres by 20 metres where the emphasis was on stripping the opposition of the ball while the ball carrying team had to protect and block their team mates.It was truly relentless and demanding and while not only improving our fitness the contest really illustrated the importance of decisive voice and communication which will help us in the heat of battle.



Training finished with a full ground exercise designed around fast ball movement - the team with the ball wanted to try and move the ball quickly when the opportunity allowed while the defenders tried to press up and apply as much pressure as possible in order to create a turnover or dispossess them. It was a cracking session and the boys got a lot out of it, including Matt Lobbe who received a nice shiner from an accidental elbow from Jacko. It certainly illustrated the intensity the boys showed this morning.



12pm
Our final lunch at the AIS was once again outstanding. I enjoyed some chicken, pasta and salad, followed by yoghurt. The Italian chef there was a legend and we presented him with a Power guernsey as a token of our appreciation for his wonderful hospitality. After lunch we had an hour or so to kill before we departed the AIS for the airport and I took Andrew Moore on in a couple of games of table tennis. Sadly, he was too good for me and I let me emotions get to me after my second humiliating loss - my behaviour was not unlike John McEnroe in his prime which I was little embarrassed about but I really just wanted to win at least one game. Ten hours later writing this I'm still dirty to be honest so I need to just let it go..."are you serious!"


I know, you're probably thinking with a technique like this, how could I have lost?

2.30pm
After a thoroughly enjoyable four days at the AIS it was time to board the bus and begin the next part of our journey as we headed to the airport en route to London. Before we left the team presented staff at the AIS with a Power guernsey which now means there'll not only be a framed guernsey in the kitchen but also in the hallway next to the likes of a signed picture of the triumphant Aussie Netball team and a Socceroos jersey signed by Lucas Neill.


Chad Wingard's Milan montage

5.25pm
The team left for London on a British Airways flight after we all eventually checked in, including Bobby Carlile with the biggest suit case I've ever seen, and eased our way through customs.

6.20pm
We touched down in chilly London after a nearly two hour flight (London is one hour behind Milan) and although tired, the boys were like kids in a candy store to arrive in the UK - the first time for a lot of our players. Once we got through customs and into the heart of Heathrow Airport we couldn't believe just how big it was. In fact, Heathrow is so big that you have to catch a train to pick up your luggage - that's right, a train to another stop! Someone mentioned it but I thought they were just taking the mickey. The frightening thing was their trains in the airport are better than what we've got on the old Adelaide to Noarlunga line!

So everything was going along pretty smoothly, a little too smoothly as it turns out. As I was heading to our bus I realised I left my laptop on the plane. What a disaster - how the heck was I going to get back to the plane to find it? I was going to have enough trouble just hopping on the right train! After discussions with Heathrow staff we established that I couldn't get my laptop back immediately but should be able to retrieve it tomorrow. It could have been worse. I could have been Rehnny.

Unbeknowns to me, while I was trying to find my laptop, poor old Rehnny was trying to find a missing bag. The big unit wasn't happy. It appears his bag wasn't tagged correctly and somehow didn't make it aboard our flight. A few of the boys mentioned that it's probably in Kazakhstan or Qatar which went down like a lead balloon. Rehnny eventually saw the funny side, although he probably won't be reunited with his bag for three days. I wouldn't like to be Brad Gotch who has to room with the big fella given he hasn't got his toiletries and a change of jocks for about 72 hours!

9.30pm
Finally we arrived at our quaint hotel in the middle of central London. The boy's eyes were like saucers as we cruised through some of London's landmarks as well as some pretty interesting sights on the streets given it was Halloween. On arrival at the hotel all the boys retreated to the rooms for an early night in preparation for an exciting day in London tomorrow, including our first training run on KIA Oval ahead of our big game on Saturday.