RICHMOND'S decision to revive the pre-season training camp concept has paid off, according Bachar Houli, after a successful team-building experience in Townsville.
The Tigers last went on a training camp two years ago when they travelled to Cairns in far north Queensland.
They didn't go away last year, opting instead to train at Punt Road, with the pre-Christmas phase focusing on fitness, conditioning and individual skills.
After returning from this month's week-long trip to Townsville that included every player on the list, Houli said the experience had drawn the players closer together.
"When a group goes away on a camp, you jell better and you feel better about yourselves and as a collective, as a team," Houli told AFL.com.au.
"I think they're very beneficial. You get away from the club, and even though we were only back for a week before, the training, the building element of things is very, very beneficial moving forward.
"I think the training camp does add a lot to a pre-season. It just breaks it up a bit so you're not stuck between four walls for three or four months."
The camp threw up a number of challenges for the players and the club's recent draftees, who were included in most of the program.
The new rookies, who only became Tigers last Wednesday in the NAB AFL Rookie Draft, flew up for the final three days.
Houli said the first three days involved the usual type of pre-season drills; skills, running, weights and off-legs circuits.
Then, they were split into six teams for an 'Amazing Race' component of the camp that rounded out the program.
Teams had to buy "mascot" figurines, which travelled with them throughout the contest, and deal with trading out one member of their group before it started.
On the first day, the players ran more than 22km just travelling between each checkpoint around Townsville over a 12-hour period.
Activities that broke up the cardiovascular work included abseiling off Castle Hill, making a bike for one team member and then going on a long, uphill ride, and creating rafts for water challenges.
The race culminated with a return trip by kayak to Magnetic Island – a one-way journey of about 8km, before a final hike up a track that stretched more than 6km.
Houli, who was in the team that placed second after a "communication issue" saw them miss the ferry back to Magnetic Island for the final stage, said the experience had built and solidified the bonds between teammates.
"It was great to see that the boys didn't give one inch," he said.
"The great thing about the draftees and rookies was they were so resilient, they didn't complain and they wanted to continue to do everything at the best level.
"That's the attitude and the competitiveness we've trying to create in our club.
"It's not about the 22-25 players that play on a regular basis; it's about those young kids, the guys who aren't getting regular games to keep putting pressure on the senior blokes so we have more depth and have warriors who can step up when someone goes down.
"That's the great thing about camps, not only are you benefiting from the training, you're building relationships with guys that you don't know and guys that you are still getting to know.
"It was just a great team effort and I'm sure we built some great relationships with each other. I think it was very, very beneficial."
