The QBE Sydney Swans Academy headed to the beaches of Cronulla last week as part of week 5 of the annual Benchmark program.

It was a gruelling session for the Academy members as they tackled the sand dunes in a test of their mental toughness.

The group was pushed to their limits in an intense running and boxing session in warm conditions under the Sydney sun.

General Manager of the QBE Sydney Swans Academy, Chris Smith, said the session was important to focus on leadership, team building and communication.

“I thought our strength and conditioning staff – who are the best in the business – did an outstanding job organising the mental toughness challenge,” Smith said.

“I’m equally impressed with each age group, particularly with their effort, enthusiasm and willingness to push themselves when they were clearly exhausted.”

“It looks as though next year is going to very exciting, given the calibre of each and every individual who has worked extremely hard over the last five to six weeks.”

See some of the best photos from the session below (click here to view more images from the session).