The pre-season program has been pretty intense, I think I’ve only had one day off in the last two weeks. We’ve done lots of skills work and boxing, including some sparring last week which was good fun, although Dylan Addison gave me a couple of good jabs to the nose!

It’s no secret the playing group has bulked up over the past couple of months and the coaches are very happy with our progress. Fitness wise I’m travelling well and I said at the start of the summer that I wanted to put on some more bulk. I have achieved that and will continue to improve this area of my game over the course of the season.

Next week the Club heads to Darwin for our community camp and opening NAB Cup game. For myself and some of my fellow rookies it will be the first time they have done a trip like this, visiting other communities in Australia.

Having travelled to South Africa last year with the Australian Institute of Sport, I’m looking forward to going to Darwin and experiencing life up there for the week while we continue to prepare for the season.

There is a real buzz in the change rooms and you can sense the senior players and coaches are really looking forward to playing their first competitive match next Friday.

2008 is going to be a big year for my development as a footballer and being in Darwin to watch my team mates play next week will be another step in the right direction.