G’day Magpie fans, I’ll be keeping a blog here on collingwoodfc.com.au while we’re in Arizona for our training camp from November 10-24, to try and keep you up-to-date with what’s going on.

I hope you enjoy, Trav.

CLICK HERE to launch the Arizona photo gallery

Day 15 - Monday 24 November - Depart Flagstaff
The 2008 Arizona training camp has come to a close. I've just come back from lunch which followed an early start and our final training run at the NAU Skydome. I'm a bit rushed as I have to check out soon, we'll then take a three hour bus ride to Phoenix, fly to LA, then later tonight fly from LA to Melbourne, arriving home on Wednesday morning.

Thanks for reading my blog, it's been great to share some of our experiences with you. All the boys are really looking forward to getting back to Melbourne, having a huge preseason and starting the 2009 season really well.

Day 14 - Sunday 23 November - Team run
After having a much needed extra hour to sleep in we headed off for a run around the NAU campus, but overall it was a light day before a big session on Monday morning to finish off.  We had our final dinner in the NAU student dinning hall, which gave John Anthony his final chance to say goodbye to his new friends here on campus who I'm sure he will keep in contact with.

Tomorrow morning we'll have our final training session here in Flagstaff before we begin our long journey home to Melbourne to our loved ones and family.

Day 13 - Saturday 22 November - Skydome training/team dinner
As per usual we ran over to the Skydome to kick start our day but 'Butters' had one of his great ideas to form an Indian file in age order, and start chants as if we were in the marines creating a great feeling with in the group before our main session.

We split up into four teams to compete in two different games, playing soccer and NFL football. Ben Reid was talking himself up to be the next Harry Kewell but as the games started he showed his true colours being worst on pitch while Tyson Goldsack showed his pace and skills side-stepping and scoring touch down after touch down. Over all the the umpiring was disgraceful as Mick Malthouse umpired the soccer and Paul Hudson umpired the NFL football.

Tonight we headed to a Flagstaff restaurant for a team dinner where we all feasted on big steaks and ribs.

Day 12 - Friday 21 November - Circuit training/trail run
This morning the group was split into two. One group headed to the Schultz Trail near Mt Humphrey for a trail run at 9000 feet, while the rest of us stayed at NAU to complete a circuit consisting footy drills and fitness work.

This afternoon I headed into town and did some shopping with Chris Dawes and Jaxson Barham, we found a great store that sold lots of brand name merchandise at good prices, so we all loaded up. We had dinner in the student dining room and then a quiet night in anticipation for what could be the toughest session of the trip on Saturday.

Day 11 - Thursday 20 November - Skydome training/Suns game
The morning kicked off with a David Buttifant special - a handicapped race named the Arizona mile.  It’s roughly one mile from where we’re staying (Drury Inn) to the NAU Skydome, so ‘Butters’ put us into groups depending on our running ability and it was basically a race, pretty tough considering it was first thing in the morning and icy cold. We then trained in the Skydome.

Tonight 12 of the playing group took up the opportunity to drive two and a half hours down to Phoenix to watch the Phoenix Suns NBA basketball team take on the LA Lakers. With talents like Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal playing on the same court we all knew it was going to be an amazing spectacle. Most of the boys got right into the game, buying team singlets and cheering on their chosen side, it was the Suns for me  We enjoyed seats six rows from court side we were able to feel the action and emotion.  We even were able to meet the Suns cheerleaders before the game, definitely a highlight of the trip so far!


Day 10 - Wednesday 19 November - Rec centre training/pool comp
After training in the university recreation centre in the morning, we had some free time in the afternoon. I took the chance to rest and prepare for the final five days of training, which will no doubt be tough.

We all went out for dinner last night, which was a good change up from the university dining hall. I had a big steak, which was very nice and something I haven’t had for a while. We then went to a pool hall and completed a pairs pool tournament which got very rowdy, particularly because it was John Anthony and Eddie McGuire taking on Heath Shaw and Brent Macaffer in the final. In front of a large crowd, John and Eddie got up and shared the prize money... who would’ve thought?


Day 9 - Tuesday 18 November - Skydome training
After another solid day of training and weights the group is really thriving on the advantage of altitude training here in Flagstaff with many of the players really developing their fitness and group morale is very high. President Eddie McGuire has been burning up the training track with his blistering speed and his precision skills.

Over the last few days the boys have really been letting the facial hair grow. Many of the younger players including myself have been trimming and shaving mows and ‘sidies’, anything you could really imagine, just to keep it interesting here in Flagstaff.

Day 8 - Monday 17 November - Day off!
Our morning testing was pushed back an hour and we were given the rest of the day off, which was much needed, let me tell you.

Tyson Goldsack, Ben Reid and I took a taxi to the mall, which is about a 10-minute drive down the highway, only problem being that when we went to meet some others who we were getting as cab with on the way back around lunchtime, they'd already gone, and we were stuck there for about two hours. Other than that managed to get some rest and get ready for what will no doubt be a tough session on Tuesday.

Day 7 - Sunday 16 November - Grand Canyon hike/fitness session
Today most of the group took a 90-minute bus ride for a tough eight-hour hike through the Grand Canyon here in Arizona, however a small group of us, including me, stayed back and did some more regular fitness work this morning, followed by a weights session.

The guys who returned from the hike all looked like they had a really good workout, and even ran up the steep incline for much of the last 90 minutes of the hike just to make it even harder, so all players had a pretty big day. We're all looking forward to a day off on Monday and having a good rest.

Day 6 - Saturday 15 November - 'The 10 commandments'
We finished off the 10 commandments this morning in enthusiastic fashion. It was a session for all involved to remember as every station we took part in got harder, and we all had to work closely in small teams, which really pushes each player.

Sean Rusling continues to develop and show the playing group why he is such a important player going forward, impressing with a 49-second 400 metre sprint in the team running drill, while Nathan Brown showed off his strength at the max bench press station smashing out rep after rep.


Day 5 - Friday 14 November - Skydome training session
After pulling up nice and sore this morning after the long Mt Humphrey hike we were hoping for a light day of training, but to our surprise fitness coach David Buttifant had other ideas and put us through our paces.

The morning session was full of enjoyable but demanding games to help us understand our game plan and have some fun while we were at it, but also incorporated a lot of hard running which at altitude is especially tough. We were going to be doing a fitness course on Saturday known as the 10 commandments, however just to make today’s session really hard we did three of the commandments at the end in the Skydome.

Day 4 - Thursday 13 November - Mt Humphrey hike
Today we hiked to the top of Mt Humphrey, which peaks at nearly four kilometres above sea level and is only a short bus trip from Flagstaff here in Arizona.

Having done it before I knew what to expect but it was still really tough, and while the weather was great, the snow, rocky ground and extreme altitude made it very difficult. It took about six hours to get to the top and back down, and it’s a good way of doing some intense training away from your traditional footy pre-season.

It was good to see Eddie, who is over here with us, get to the to the top after he looked to be struggling early, and it was really good for team morale when we got together at the summit and had lunch, in freezing conditions!


Day 3 - Wednesday 12 November - Skydome training session
Today we had our first really testing session, and it began early when we ran about two kilometres as a group from our hotel to the NAU Skydome, the home stadium of the football team, which is a huge wooden dome with a brand new synthetic turf surface.

I really felt the altitude for the first time on this trip, and felt quite nauseous at the end. Anthony Corrie has fitted in well and is training hard to earn the respect of the group, while John McCarthy continues to impress, and Chris Dawes also looks in terrific condition. Already we're getting quite a lot out of the trip and we're looking forward to climbing Mt.Humphrey tomorrow.

Day 2 - Tuesday 11 November - Arrive in Flagstaff
We went for a light run near the hotel at 7am, had a stretch and a swim, before a three-hour bus ride to Flagstaff, which is north of Phoenix. We arrived before midday, and went straight to one of the playing fields to have a skills session followed by some tough running.

As Flagstaff is over two kilometres above sea level, you immediately notice the altitude.Afterwards we went and had lunch in Northern Arizona University’s student dining area, and because we were all wearing our training gear we definitely caused a little bit of a stir. We had some free time in the afternoon. I just went for a walk with a couple of the boys into town, then we had dinner together as a team and an early night. The first day in Flagstaff was really about settling back in and getting ready. The really tough training starts tomorrow.


CTV in Arizona > Cameron Wood day one interview

Day 1 - Monday 10 November - Depart Melbourne / Monday night football
We flew out just after midday on Monday from Melbourne, and headed straight to Los Angeles where we had an hour or so to wait before our connecting flight to Phoenix. We had camps in Arizona in 2005 and 2006, so while many of the young players had never been, for those of us who have, it's definitely been something to look forward to.

Because of the time difference we arrived in Phoenix shortly after midday on the Monday, at which point we checked into a hotel not far from the University of Phoenix Stadium, where we watched the Arizona Cardinals play the San Francisco 49ers in Monday night football. It was a great experience but like many others I was exhausted from the flight, so I left early and slept like a baby.