Sunday was game day (against Adelaide) and because it was an early start (12:40pm), we really didn’t have too much time to kill beforehand.
The bus left the hotel at 10:15am which left only enough time to go for a quick walk/jog and have some breakfast before departure.
Once we get to the ground, there is a lengthy build up to the start of the game.
There are two on-ground warm-ups, both a team meeting and an area meeting, time to get strapped by physios and trainers and also a stretch.
I won’t go into the game itself too much, but it’s fair to say that it wasn’t the result we were looking for.
Because we only had a six day break between our games against Adelaide and Collingwood, we boarded a plane that night and got back into Brisbane at about 9:30pm.
Monday
Monday’s are generally all about recovery. We start our morning by checking in with physios, strength and conditioning staff and doctors.
I pulled up with no issues from the Crows game so it was a pretty quick check-in.
After that, we all went to South Bank as a team and did recovery which involved walking in the water, swimming and stretching which didn’t last too long.
The whole squad then caught up at the Plough Inn who are great supporters of the Club for a team breakfast. I couldn’t stay for too long because I was due back at the Club for a physio appointment followed by a Pilates session.
This was followed by a team meeting which largely involved a review of the weekends game.
Tuesday
We start the day at 9am with a session on the Gabba which involves doing strides, stretching, touch work, mobility exercises and some walk-through game simulation exercises.
This takes nearly two hours to complete, but makes you feel better in your body afterwards.
I no sooner finished that before having to go straight to the gym to do close to an hour of weights. These sessions aren’t so much about getting stronger, but maintaining your strength which you improve on each pre-season.
Once again, I had Pilates that afternoon which after having groin problems in the early part of my career has helped maintain my groins massively.
My day finished at the club around 4pm after having a massage and physio session.
Wednesday
Wednesday was our day off which was great. Due to our obvious commitments with games and recovery on weekends, we tend to get one day off during the week.
I took advantage of the day off by sleeping in till around 10am. For some reason, I struggle to sleep properly after games and by mid-week I’m exhausted and enjoy a good night sleep.
With this time off, I decided to go down to the Gold Coast for a swim with Matt Austin and Tom Collier who I live with. The water at the beach was beautiful - being warmer in than out - and the swim left me feeling pretty good body wise.
Although it was my day off, I still went into the Club in the afternoon for some physio and stretching which left me feeling fresh both mentally and physically.
Thursday
Our day started at around 9am with a pre-training meeting then our main session for the week. After training we generally stretch and plunge in hot and cold baths.
After training, it was pretty much time for lunch. We had a group lunch in our players bar and had a ‘kangaroo court’ run by Jamie Charman which is a bit of fun for the players.
After lunch we had an opposition meeting. These generally last between half an hour to an hour. My day finished with a gym session, physio and a massage.
Friday
The day before a game is never usually too full-on. We had some morning meetings followed by some light run-throughs.
Most of the boys have the afternoon free, so I saw this as a chance to pop upstairs and do my regular website column…
