The first thing I have to say about training is that it has been out of the ordinary for me recently. So far out of the ordinary that it was in Bali!

What’s an AFL footballer doing in Bali in late January? Well, I got married on January 16, to Clementine, and the Club was kind enough to let me have a week off for my honeymoon.

But that’s not to say I got it too easy. I took the air out of a footy and packed it in my suitcase, and I also had a training program that I stuck to every day.

So while there was time for relaxing in the sun by the pool together, I made sure I got up early every day and did what I needed to do.

The first day was interesting. It was very hot and there are not many pathways or footpaths in Bali so I decided to go for a run on the beach outside our hotel. But as I was running, I saw a couple of syringes, so I canned that idea and stuck to the treadmill and the weights room in the resort.

I certainly didn’t want to come back injured, I’d be in trouble then!

So I trained for a couple of hours each day, doing running, weights and getting a few touches of the footy. I found a wall where no-one could see me, and did a bit of kicking to myself.

The heat was the hard part and you can lose a lot of weight, so I had to be very careful about drinking enough water. And with the Balinese food and plenty of rice and healthy breakfasts, I didn’t drop any weight, which was great.

My first day back back at the Club was on Wednesday, and it was just good getting back amongst the guys. I was itching to get back to training after being away and it has made me more hungry to get into it.

I was a little anxious, not about how it would affect my fitness but just because I didn’t like the thought of missing stuff. I hate to miss training sessions, and until the trip I hadn’t missed a training session all pre-season.

I kept checking sydneyswans.com.au to stay in touch with what the boys were doing. I read about last week’s practice game and who played well. I was getting itchy and a bit dirty and wanting to get back into it as quickly as possible because we play our first pre-season cup game in about three weeks, against Carlton at Blacktown on February 20.

Anyway, we had another practice match this morning and I got a few touches, which made me feel better. We’re really getting into game stuff now and it’s getting exciting.

As a Club we’re so far ahead of our normal training schedule and fitness at this time of year that a lot of the boys will be having four days off next week. But not me. I’ve had my break, and I’ll be catching up!



Jarrad McVeigh