PETER Wright sits at the front of the bus, his long legs outstretched and his eyes focused on the view out of the window, taking things in.
Sam Durdin is close by, as is Jesse Watchman, while Liam Dawson and Matt Hammelmann sit a row or two back, sharing iPod headphones.
Nakia Cockatoo plays Stevie Wonder on his portable speaker, and sings along too, while Christian Petracca is far enough away to be pumping out tunes of a newer, bouncier variety.
Further back, Jarrod Pickett and Jaden McGrath swap stories, while Clem Smith and Angus Brayshaw trade friendly barbs. Lachie Weller, Hugh Goddard and Liam Griffiths are hard to split, while Jermaine Miller-Lewis’ laugh occasionally breaks through the hum of small talk.
The AIS-AFL Academy squad is on its way to training in London during its two-week tour of Europe, and it’s a group made up of all types.
That’s to be expected. The 31 players, considered the most talented group of draft prospects of 2014, are picked from every state and territory, from different cultures and backgrounds.
The trip is the centrepiece of the level two Academy’s eight-month program and a chance for them to come together, travel and be tested.
This morning, the test came in the form of an hour of training, where they wanted to do everything at high intensity and skill. But the challenges arrive in many ways.
On the first full day of the tour after settling in at Wembley – down the road from England’s famous, recently rebuilt stadium – it was time for recruiting’s version of speed-dating.
Jesse Watchman is interviewed by Port Adelaide recruiting manager Geoff Parker in London
Fifteen AFL clubs sent scouts on the tour and the majority of them were spread out in the
hotel’s function room, speaking with players in 10-minute blocks. Mostly it was full of get-to-know-you questions, trying to get an early read on this year’s draft class.
But there were specifics for each player, such as Patrick McCartin, whose diabetes was a regular topic of conversation.
“They don’t ask whether I’ll be able to handle it, but more what it’s like, how I deal with it, and whether I think it’s easy for me to deal with on a day-to-day basis,” McCartin said. “And I think it is, because I’ve dealt with it for nine years and it’s become second nature to me.”
All the players grow accustomed to the recruiters’ presence, and how to act around them. Making a good impression on the field certainly helps.
The team had two games with the European Legion in London, a team made up of footballers from around Europe and coached by Tadhg Kennelly.
At their jumper presentation, Croatian ruckman Josip Habljak took to the stage and urged his new teammates to have a go. “Have no fear,” he said, pointing to himself. “The ‘pain train’ is here.”
Peter Wright is focused on the ball during the Academy's game against the European Legion
Irishman Conor McKenna took heed. The 18-year-old was almost best on ground in the combined game – his first of Australian football.
He did well again against the full Academy side in the main match, to the point where several of the AFL clubs are eyeing him as an international rookie.
Discipline was important. When a handful of Academy players didn’t complete their daily wellness forms or urine tests (to monitor hydration levels), they were hit with a traditional team punishment: knuckle push-ups on gravel. Some handled it well, others shook. All learned the lesson.
“That’s what it’s like at an AFL club,” said Hammelmann. “You’ve got to be switched on all the time and not make any mistakes.”
That point was reinforced at a team meeting, convened by the group’s leaders: captain Brad Walsh, Jake Lever, Goddard and Weller.
“It was probably hard initially to get the courage to confront them. But everybody wanted to get better and didn’t take it to heart,” said Walsh, who made a point of having a conversation with every teammate to get to know them properly.
AIS-AFL captain Brad Walsh takes in a tour of Wembley Stadium
This was the squad’s fourth camp together, having come together as a group last September. Under the tutelage of senior coach Brad Johnson and assistants Glen Jakovich, Brad Ottens, Matthew Lloyd and Kennelly, they are given specific insights into the life of an AFL player.
The night before heading to Europe they played as a team for the first time – against Collingwood’s VFL side at the MCG – which had been a focus for much of the program.
Before going overseas, Lever called Brad Johnson and asked what he could do to help.
Four months into his recovery from a knee reconstruction, the highly touted defender led the rehab group at training, organised boxing sessions and offered regular, meaningful advice to teammates, including those in the same position of recovery.
A spider bite in London ruined Sam Bevan’s hopes of impressing on the field, Miller-Lewis’ shins have kept him out of action for almost a year but he was enthusiastic, while Cockatoo’s smile didn’t disappear all tour, despite being booked in for serious foot surgery three days after returning home.
There was reason to be happy. Most players had not been to Europe before, and many had not been overseas at all.
They toured Wembley, attended a championship soccer game at Watford and spent a day seeing the city’s sights, including Big Ben, the London Eye and the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, which didn’t quite capture Brayshaw’s imagination. “They’re just changing shift, aren’t they?” he said.
There was more to come in Italy, where the Academy headed for the second leg of the tour and stayed at the AIS’s European base at Gavirate, an hour out of Milan.
Jarrod Pickett gets set to swoop at training camp in Italy.
First came a visit to Lake Como, then central Milan and then a day trip up Monte Lema, in the Swiss Alps. The players hiked the steep mountainside for two hours and at the top many saw snow for the first time.
Smith literally did backflips about being there while Pickett, McGrath and Miller-Lewis lobbed clumps of frozen ice at each other.
But things always came back to football. Kevin Sheehan, the AFL’s national talent manager, compared the hike to a career – the hard work being put in on the way up before enjoying the rewards.
In one of the final days, the squad was put through a training session designed to highlight their competitive instincts.
On a local, fenced-in soccer field, the boys were paired off and told to go for it. Isaac Heeney was a standout, showing his strength and power in close, while Tom Lamb never appeared rushed, pushing through packs to win possessions.
All of them did it again and again with, as one onlooker put it, nowhere to hide. Performing under pressure was all part of the learning process.
Jaden McGrath (left) chases the ball during training in Italy, closely watched by Billy Stretch (no. 8)
On the last night, each player addressed the full touring party about what they had taken out of their trip.
Pickett and Petracca realised there was a balance between fun and switching on. The importance of resilience dawned on Ryan Lim, and Lamb understood that no matter the quality of facilities or equipment or boots he was given, it was up to him to make the most of them.
Weller will go home to the Gold Coast and continue to use every minute to improve, while Jackson Nelson’s focus would turn to the small things, like preparation and training efforts.
Daniel Capiron, capturing the Academy’s aim, left with a clear picture of what to do.
“To be successful, it’s up to me,” he said. “It’s up to us. Every one of us.”
