[RELATED: Scott: No quick fixes | Utah photos: Day two]
North Melbourne coach Brad Scott believes a scaled-down version of the club’s high-altitude camp will give its youngsters a mental and physical edge in the pre-season.
13 players arrived in Utah on Monday (local time), with the remainder of the list to re-join their team-mates at Arden Street in a fortnight.
“We think largely the Utah camp has served its purpose in terms of educating our footballers as to what an elite athlete's lifestyle looks like, but really it’s a fluid game this one. You bring in new players each year and we feel that the majority of our squad has experienced four Utah campaigns now, and that’s enough. But the young guys still need that education,” Scott told NMFC.com.au.
“It’s about educating the players the way we want them to live their lives, because it’s a brutal game. It requires unbelievable stamina to backup day after day, week after week and year after year.”
PRESS PLAY above to listen to Brad Scott's thoughts on the camp
A two-week head start is sure to prove advantageous for the travelling brigade, as it has those who’ve made the trip previously.
“It’s cumulative. Every athlete right up until they retire they just keep getting better and better, and we think this sets a really good base for our young players.
“They’ll come back in really good shape and those benefits will last all the way through the pre-season.”
While the core group are first to four year players, the commitment of some more experienced Kangaroos has also impressed the coach.
“I’m really enthusiastic that Andrew (Swallow) and Jack (Ziebell), Daniel Wells and Jamie Macmillan, those types have decided to come over,” Scott said.
“It certainly wasn’t incumbent on them to do that. That just gives you an idea on how they are approaching their pre-season.
“We had some good results last year but fell short of where we ultimately want to be, so that gives our supporters an idea of the hunger the senior guys have got.”
The leaders and coaches Scott, Jarred Moore and Ben Dyer (development coaches) are sure to keep the youngsters on their toes during the camp.
“We are going to train hard but we are going to show them how to backup from that as well, and that’s just as important as training hard.”
After a night of rest upon their arrival, the players headed out on their first hike on Tuesday morning (local time). Even an hour of walking and light jogging can prove testing at high-altitude, but this was only a small preview of what’s to come.
Skills are scheduled for Wednesday and a hike on Friday; acclimatising to the conditions quickly at the top of the agenda for those who don't want to get caught behind.
“It will be a real blend really. There’s more of a focus on the endurance component while we are over here, and that’s a little bit do with the venue, but also the stage of the pre-season we are at,” Scott added.
“That being said, there’ll be ample time for skill development, and when you are a young player you need to improve everything. It will be a pretty well rounded camp.”
NMFC.com.au will be there every step of the way over the next two weeks in Utah. Stay tuned for further updates.
