5:00am… Alarm sounds and it’s time to get going!! Day 2 of first years camp in Tasmania. No prior knowledge of what’s ahead or where we’re going, we pack in the two rented vans and drive to the base of Mount Wellington. Rising to 1300 meters and providing a wonderful view of the city of Hobart, Mt Wellington this morning would pose the most challenging 3 hours to date.

Starting with a quick boxing session at the base of the mountain… Arms cycling, gloves on, partners encouraging, at the end of this fifteen minute session arms are tired! Quick stretch and bring it in for chat…“… To the top boys.”

Not common for basketballers to hike mountains or run long distances, but hey, I’m a footballer. 3 hours of trails for good running conditions, rocky mountain terrain to hike up, and the most beautiful sights I’ve seen, would combine to make this a beautiful struggle.

How many times did I want to quit and go back to base? Lol I’d say nearly every 3 and a half minutes the thought would need to be mentally overruled, and an extra effort would be need to concentrate on placing one foot in front of the other! “Keep on keepin’ on!” Words from one of my most influential basketball coaches, and were the continuous words from John Lamont, development coach who was making the journey with us.

I’ve never done anything like this, look up at the top of Mt Wellington and say that’s the destination, 1300m up, and 3hrs later standing at the top,wind blowing, legs firing at a level zero, gasping for breath, and looking down; you can guess what I whispered to myself…

“I did it… I conquered Mt Wellington” in the Tasmanian mountains and in the wilderness, I made it to the top! A fair comparison to my AFL journey! Going to be challenging! Going to be up hill! Going to be a climb! Going to be the hardest thing I’ve done! But it’s going to be beautiful!!

A proud Beast!

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