Mason Wood finished third behind Gibson and rookie Tim McGenniss in his first time trial since being hampered by a knee injury.
"It felt really good so I just kept running. I was jumping people and it kept feeling good, so I just kept going," he told NMFC.com.au after crossing the line.
"I stuck on the back of Timmy (McGenniss) and tried to break him but couldn't get him, he had a little bit more in the reserve than I did."
The 20-year old was an unexpected standout in the run after only emerging from the rehab group this week. He attributes his fitness to the hard work he put in during his the club's high-altitude camp.
"I haven't had the intense conditioning that everyone else has had, especially missing the conditioning in the legs. But I did a lot of swimming while in Utah which I think definitely helped with my breathing and lung capacity.
"I never really knew how my knee would be and what it would be capable of coming back, and whether it was going to feel any different to what it was before the injury. Surprisingly it felt great."
Despite his significant progress, Wood isn't content with finishing third.
"I'm looking forward to having a solid Christmas break and then come back and work on the rest of that leg conditioning that I need so I can have repeat efforts," he added.
"It was good to get my first one over and done with and run a fairly decent time, but hopefully I'll come back fitter and faster so I can catch Timmy."
Father-son recruit Luke McDonald was another solid performer, finishing in fifth place. Perhaps more impressive though was his time; he ran 18 seconds quicker than his pre-Utah time-trial.
Ex-Tiger Robin Nahas put his best foot forward in sixth position, while 17-year old rookie Kayne Turner was next in line.
Another outstanding improver was Taylor Hine who is already reaping the benefits of high-altitude training, wiping 34 seconds off his time in the past month.
TOP 10
1. Sam Gibson
2. Tim McGenniss
3. Mason Wood
4. Ryan Bastinac
5. Luke McDonald
6. Robin Nahas
7. Kayne Turner
8. Mitch Wilkins
9. Shaun Atley
10. Taylor Hine
