Healthy Tigers head to the tropics for annual pre-season camp in Cairns Sam Edmund
From: Herald Sun
November 26, 2012 RICHMOND flies out today for its pre-season camp in significantly better shape than this time last year.
Coach Damien Hardwick said the Tigers were far healthier than a year ago, when several off-season surgeries delayed several players' summer programs.
Richmond will set up camp in Cairns this afternoon, having only recent hamstring victim Dylan Grimes and Nathan Foley (achilles) on rehabilitation programs.
"We're a lot better than this time last year, which is really important," Hardwick said.
"We certainly had a number of operations we brought forward towards the end of last season and a lot of those guys are up and going now.
"We're pleased with where we're at thus far."
Grimes, who this year flew to Germany for treatment on his troublesome left hamstring, strained the muscle again at training on Friday.
But Foley will travel with the squad after making good progress on the club's AlterG anti-gravity treadmill.
"Nathan can feel that he's progressing a little bit quicker than where he was, because he can gradually increase his bodyweight, even at a walking pace on the AlterG," elite performance manager Peter Burge said this month.
Hardwick said the 10-day trip - the first duty for new captain Trent Cotchin - would be a blend of team bonding and intense training.
"It will be a little bit of both, but there'll be a lot of hard work up there," he said.
"Obviously the heat and humidity will be something that will certainly test the guys physically and mentally. We're looking forward to seeing how they react.
"Then there'll be a bit of fun at the end with regards to some adventure racing and that sort of thing, so it will be an exciting camp."
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