ON January 19 the Collingwood Football Club’s coaches and players left Melbourne for South Africa on altitude training camp before heading to Dubai for the opening game of the 2008 NAB cup. Star Magpie Nick Maxwell gives his account of the three-week journey.

We all arrived at the airport about 8pm. A handfull of guys were lucky enough to get the call for upgrade but unfortunately I was not one of them. A direct flight from Melbourne to Johannesburg is around 12-14 hours. We however went to Dubai via Singapore then onto Joburg. The difference was enormous. All up we were in the air and/or in transition for 32 hours. But at least we got to travel on the magnificent Emirates planes!

After we arrived in Joburg we all got our bags and headed to the bus for a two-and-a-half-hour journey to Potchefstroom, where we were staying. After arriving at our hotel we all headed off to our rooms, which it was fair to say were not quite what we were used to. The three stars they were claiming were perhaps a little generous. We all had our own rooms, some with double beds, most with singles. Mine was a single and my feet hung a good foot out of the bottom of the bed. The TV in my room was possibly the first one ever made and only had the 3 channels – none of them in English. I figured I was going to get a lot of reading done.

Day one
Early rise and off to training. We walked 2km to a rugby ground where we trained and a light session ended up being very solid. The humidity and altitude threw the guys around a bit and some struggled for a start. After that we headed to the high performance centre for lunch and weights. The facilities were very good and it gave us a good opportunity to get our work done to a high standard. We then had a swim and did a core (abs) session. That night we had dinner and a quiet night – most guys were still tired from the flying and headed to bed early.

Day two
Another early rise and we had a 6km walk to a local pool for a swim session. We started with some more core and then had a swim – and for the guys who struggle in the pool (of which I’m definitely one) it was a hell of a session. After lunch we headed back to the hotel and then off to an orphanage and to some slums. It was tough seeing how some South Africans live, but good to see the guys making a difference. We handed out CFC hats and clothes, while some of the boys bought lollies to hand out to the kids. It was amazing to see how happy the kids were – I guess they don’t know any better.

Day three
Wednesday we first ran into the power problems of ‘Potts’. Apparently South Africa sells their power to surrounding countries, only the surrounding countries cannot afford to pay. The result is large power failures, as we first saw Wednesday morning. The boys had a bit of fun with it though. First Pebs (Anthony Rocca) approached the toaster and threw some bread in and after a few minutes realised there was a problem. Luke Casey-Leigh made the same mistake not long after, and then Danny Stanley had a go. As he was loading the toaster, Rocca, Daisy (Dale Thomas) and myself all called out for him to load some in for us too. The funny part was watching him run his hand across the top of the toaster to check the heat, and then, once he was convinced it was working, headed off to find what he would put on his toast. A good laugh to start the morning. After that it was off to training and again we had weights and a swim afterwards.

We had the afternoon to ourselves so I headed off with some of the boys for the afternoon for a feed and a few coffees. Bear (Chris Bryan), Lones (Ryan Lonie), Ross (Sean Rusling), Frase (Josh Fraser), and a few others chewed the fat during the afternoon before we all headed out for a bite to eat at a seafood restaurant.

Day four
Today we had a light swim in the morning and then had the rest of the day to ourselves. A large group of players headed to the golf course, while others played lawn bowls and did some other activities. I headed to the course and teamed up with Ben Johnson as we took on Shane O’Bree and Dale Thomas. Of the four of us, the order from best to worst would probably be Obes, Johnno, Daisy, and me picking up the rear. Daisy took the honours for best player however with Obes right behind him. Johnno and I were very inconsistent and despite being given a few shots at the start, we were flogged. Going into the last hole we were four down, or $200 ($50 per hole up for grabs per team). The way we play though means the team that is being beaten has the old double-or-nothing option which we quickly took. As golf works, Johnno and I took the prize on the final hole, meaning we came out with a draw overall.

Day five
Today we played our first scratch match. Mick met the locals to draw out the lines for the ground yesterday, and they’ve done a good job. I played forward to help with some different match ups and managed to snag a few goals. Ben Johnson played really well, as did Frase playing up forward and in the ruck. After the game we headed off to weights and then had the rest of the afternoon to ourselves.

Day six
We had a very solid recovery and another weights session before we headed off to watch Australia play South Africa in the men’s hockey semi-final of a tournament they were playing.  It was an absolute whitewash as the Aussies triumphed 9-0 (they went on to win the final the next afternoon). We then headed to dinner and the team had the opportunity to have a few beers and relax. After dinner we all headed to Bourbon Street nightclub before our 12am curfew forced us to head home.

Day seven
This morning it was time to say goodbye to our wonderful accommodation and head to a new location. After a half hour on the road we were let out on the highway and sent off on a hike. It was about two-and-a-half hours long and we came across a few deer, a giraffe and some buffalo. The most interesting part was listening to our tour guide. He had had a double heart attack only two months earlier but looked fit as a fiddle. The other thing was, when going for his ‘ranger licence’, he was dropped in a national park with only his pocket knife. There he remained for six weeks, doing his best to avoid the 2400 lions in the area, as well as other very dangerous animals and conditions.

After the walk we arrived at our newest residence. It was a magnificent spot right on the river, and I was roomed with Tarks (Tarkyn Lockyer), Didak, Anthony, Browny and Brad Dick also in our townhouse.  Having lived with Sean Rusling for a few years, I was particularly happy to hear that the owners of the place had a massive pet ostrich living there. ‘Rus’ is absolutely petrified of emus and ostriches and was keeping as far away as possible. It must have known though as it kept following him around, resulting in poor Rus not getting much sleep for the next few days, and constantly watching his back, petrified that the big bad ostrich was after him.

Day eight
Today we had training in the morning followed by lunch and weights. After returning to the river lodge we had the option of some fishing or a bit of cricket. I chose to throw the rod in with Dids, Toby Thoolen and Burnsy but the river was moving too fast for our limited equipment to be effective (that’s my excuse anyway). After dinner most guys went off in their groups to do their own thing. I was part of a poker game with half a dozen guys in which I was just down by the end. Our conditioning coach Mick Dugina took out the cash.

Day nine
We had two activities for the day with one group featuring the older half of the list and the other the young guys. The older blokes headed off to a ropes course in which we had to work together to get through a large course under set rules. We worked out our strategy and knocked it over quite quickly before heading back to camp for lunch. The younger guys went rafting and after lunch we swapped over.

After lunch I jumped in a kayak with Pebs and off we went. Unfortunately though, the phrase ‘white water rafting’ was severely overstated. There wasn’t much at all and rather than having a bit of fun, we ended up working very hard to paddle our way down the river. We all decided to make our own fun. Firstly, I got close to Obes and Tarks’ boat and jumped in, dragging Obes into the river. That started a war and guys were decking each other into the water and launching ‘river weed’ at each other. It was good fun until Pebs and I were severely on the receiving end. Bear Bryan pulled the plug out of the blow-up kayak and flogged the pump, forcing us to row with no air in the front half of our boat. We ended up jumping in with Swannie, sending Johnno in with the tour guide and towing our old boat back. A lesson learned!

Upon our return we learned that the pet jack russell that lives at the lodge had killed a brown snake under the vending machine, which made the boys a bit nervous. Apparently it is a daily occurrence – a pretty impressive feat for a dog so small.

Day 10
This morning we were up very early to travel to Sun City. Firstly we stopped at a soccer ground for a training session and then had a weights session at the hotel. Sun City is very different to the rest of South Africa. It is a casino resort and is located in the middle of group of mountains – the Pilanesberg National Park. We had free time for the afternoon and night and basically just did the tourist stuff and had a good look around.

At dinner, a group of us headed to a restaurant called Squires and had a great meal. There was cause for celebration too as it was Presti’s 30th birthday. After we sorted him out a cake and fixed up the bill it was off to the casino for a bit of play time.

After getting inside and having a look around, I noticed big Anthony Rocca watching a poker game. I went over and suggested we jump on the blackjack table. Pebs followed me over and sat down and off we went. It didn’t take long for fireworks to fly. After about five or six hands, Pebs was dealt two seven of diamonds. Now the table we were playing was a bonus table and we had been putting five rand (about 70 cents) on the table to qualify us for the bonus. To win it, a player must be dealt three seven of diamonds in one hand in succession.  So, back to Pebs’ hand. He had two seven of diamonds sitting in front of him, needing one more to take out the jackpot of over one million rand. (approx. $150 - $200 thousand Australian). I leant across to Obes and Presti who had their backs to us playing roulette, and filled them in on what was going on – they just ignored me, thinking I was just messing around. Pebs then tapped the table to get the next card.......and another seven of diamonds appeared. We both jumped out of our chairs, yelling and hugging each other and carrying on like idiots. Pebs had pulled three seven of diamonds in succession to win over a million rand. There were five decks in the shoe, meaning he pulled three out of only five among 255 other cards! The odds were ridiculous, but Pebs had done it.

The next few hours were spent sorting out how he was going to get his money. Eventually we got it all sorted and called it a night. I can’t imagine how he must have felt because my adrenaline was pumping for hours afterwards. I couldn’t imagine trying to sleep after all of that.

Day 11
This morning I headed to the Sun City water park with Tarks, Rohan (our club head trainer), Gaz and Blackers (club physio and doctor).  It was good to get on the different slides they had and catch a few waves in their massive wavepool. After a bite to eat we checked out and jumped on the bus to head to our next location.

After about 45 minutes we arrived at our next location – a safari park. The team was divided into mentor groups, meaning I had John Anthony, Nathan Brown and Brad Dick in my townhouse. We then jumped on the bus to take part in a safari. We saw zebra, giraffe, elephants, warthog, deer, rhino, hippos and more. Unfortunately the lions and cheetahs managed to avoid us but it was still a bit of fun. After a bite to eat we headed home and hit the sack.

Day 12
Friday morning and we headed back to Potts for a light training run before our scratch match on Saturday. After training we checked into our new accommodation. I was roomed with Wakes, Browny, Cooky, Coxy and Heath Shaw in a large unit. The afternoon was spent relaxing at the local cafes and playing a bit more poker. I managed to win a few bucks and we all got an early night before our last intra-club match the next morning.

Day 13
I lined up in the backline and was playing okay until Marty Clarke fell on my foot just minutes before half time. I couldn’t even walk on it and was immediately put into an ice bucket. Ben Johnson was again one of the best players along with Rhyce Shaw, Chris Bryan and Shane O’Bree.  While the rest of the team headed off to weights, I was driven back to where we were staying to spend the rest of the day icing. The doc wasn’t very confident but I was keen to get on top of my setback and be ready for Adelaide in seven days’ time.

Day 14
I woke in the morning to a throbbing foot and made my way (with my crutches) to see the doc. He put me in the dreaded ‘moonboot’ and while everyone else headed off on their day off, I sat by the pool, icing my foot and staying off it.

Much of the group headed off to Soweto to see the slums and try and send some joy to the poor people living there. They also visited the house Nelson Mandela grew up in, and all arrived back before dinner.  I had another win in the poker so my spirits were lifting.

Day 15
The boys were up early for training and after a few skill exercises, played a game of Gaelic football. It was good for a mess around after the official part of training was completed and the boys’ spirits were good. I did some stationary skills and then headed over to weights. No one was giving me a chance to get up for the weekend’s game, so I started taking bets. Frase and Johnno were my opposition and it was on. I spent all day trying to get in for an x-ray but couldn’t get one. It would have to wait until the next day.

Day 16
I finally got an x-ray in the morning and as I expected, it was all clear. This gave me the confidence to let the coach know I’d be training the next day to cement my place for Dubai. He was very sceptical, but told me he wouldn’t rule me out just yet. The door was slightly ajar! As far as I was concerned, if there was no damage on the x-ray, it was just a pain thing, and I would be right to go. Again my afternoon was spent icing and playing poker, and again I got lucky and took the cash.

That night we headed off as a team for tenpin bowling and pool. Burnsy and I fixed up Frase and Shawy in the pool, winning “10 million rand” in the process. (I don’t think we’ll ever see it, of course!).

Day 17
The moment of truth came early morning when we headed to training. I strapped up my foot and went for a jog – it wasn’t 100 per cent but I felt if I could get through the session, I still had a few days of healing to get through. Again my afternoon was spent icing and packing our bags, and we all headed to the airport for our flight to Dubai.

Day 18
We arrived in Dubai early in the morning and had a swim and some lunch. This time I was roomed with Wakes, Browny and Coxy, staying in a magnificent suite in the Marina Apartments. After lunch everyone headed off in groups to explore the city, but I had to make my way to another location with Tarks and Trav (Cloke) for a promotional shoot. We spent a few hours kicking the footy with some expat kids as well as getting some photos on a camel. We then headed back to the hotel before the whole team went to a function with the Crows and many other fans.

Day 19
This morning we trained on the oval we will be playing on the very next day. We trained quite well and the voice and energy of the group seemed good despite many guys suffering from illness and a lack of sleep.

After training we had time to ourselves so Frase and I went to the massive mall that has the ski fields inside. We spent a couple of hours wandering around before heading back to the hotel for the team meeting. That was followed by dinner, and everyone tried to go through their usual preparation for the following day.

Day 20
Disappointing ... to say the very least. Adelaide were sharp, fit and quick and beat us convincingly. Our boys were a bit flat after all the time we’d spent away, but the Crows outclassed us across the ground.  We did a pool session and licked our wounds before we had dinner and everyone headed to the after game party. Everyone forgot what had happened that day and had a few beers to relax and enjoy our last day in the brilliant surroundings they were in.

Day 21
Another early start to catch our plane and head home. All up it was a long tough trip but although we lost the game, I think we got a lot of benefit out of the trip as a whole. Only time will tell, but I think a lot of players have taken some positive steps towards improving and putting their hand up for round one. And I will definitely be back to Dubai at some stage.