Having experienced a similar tragedy as a playing group in 2013, it hit home just how tough his innings was, and how tough it was for others to take to the field.
It made me think how tragedy can evoke the fighting spirit, as well as galvanize not only a group of men but the wider population.
With this serving as extra motivation, we rode to the NAS and began the training process all over again.
Once again Dubai had turned on the weather for us, with conditions in the low 30s and not a breath of wind.
It’s been that way the whole time!
Prior to every session we complete a physical screening, designed to monitor fatigue levels and any potential injuries that may restrict our training.
After this we have a team meeting outlining the structure of our day and the specifics of our training drills.
With all of this completed we took to the track.
The boys rattled off the kilometers, embracing the Dubai heat to meet the high expectations of the coaching group (and each other).
Robbie Gray was a standout, working his magic around stoppages as per usual, showing why he’s now a John Cahill Medallist.
Polly (Jared Polec) also trained strongly, having a real dip in the running and highlighting how far he’s come since returning to South Australia.
The afternoon session involved some position-specific drills, such as goal kicking for forwards, spoiling for backs, and stoppages for mids.
This was interspersed with a short but sharp running session.
Burgo’s sessions continue to push each and every player to their limits, with the expressions on our faces after each part telling the story.
On a lighter note, our post-training recovery involved a high diving competition with points to go onto our team scores that we’ve been accumulating since day one.
Each team nominated a member who executed their best dive in front of an expert judging panel consisting of Buddha Hocking… and that’s it.
Jarman Impey showed some real prowess, taking the title with a forward somersault that finished with a pretty landing, while Tom Clurey went for the crowd-pleasing 'suey dive', which fell well short of the first prize.
I can only wonder what tomorrow holds.
Knowing Burgo, a curve ball can’t be too far away!
