Rainstorm dampens Tigers' camp but not desire
Martin Boulton, Echuca | February 6, 2008
AFTER a warm welcome, Richmond's community camp in Echuca hit a soggy patch yesterday when its training session in nearby Moama was washed out by torrential rain.
A dozen local footballers scheduled to have a run with the Tigers were invited back today, if they can get away from school, while the players were forced to collect their bags and file back onto the team bus.
Next stop, Echuca College, where Joel Bowden joked that the squad might be invited to other parts of Victoria where drought has bitten deep and water restrictions are in place.
Bowden's 13th pre-season has gone without a hitch and he said the three-day visit to Echuca is another valuable chance to bring the group closer together.
"We've been away a few places together and it's been a real development time, I've seen a number of guys in their early 20s really mature," he said.
As one of the senior players with eight or more years' experience, the 29-year-old was among those on a modified training program in November.
"It's been a little bit different, but after the whole group came together in December, we went on a camp that really changed things up, quite a bit more than usual."
The camp was run by Stealth Development, which, according to Bowden, was "handed the reins" by the Tigers' fitness staff. "We did a lot of running in the hills around the Dandenongs, then Anglesea, where it was all on the foreshore and beach tracks."
The final stage of the pre-Christmas camp was in the Grampians and abseiling formed a big part of the program. "It's interesting to put yourself in situations like that, where you're under pressure, (and) I saw a lot of good signs from a number of players."
The first tangible signs of that development is the club's restructured leadership group, with Nathan Foley and Chris Newman appointed vice-captains under skipper Kane Johnson.
The leadership group also includes Bowden, Nathan Brown, ruckman Troy Simmonds and Kayne Pettifer, who was elevated for the first time after seven seasons.
"Kayne's been showing the way the last three or four years, his work-rate is very high," Bowden said.
"He's been rewarded by being voted in by his peers and acknowledged by the coaching staff as being a worthy candidate and worthy member of the leadership group.
"It's good to have a bit of change, add some new, fresh faces and hopefully with Nathan and Chris being vice-captains shows the other guys around the place that it (leadership) is not far away."
With a new season looming, Bowden is confident the club can put last year's dismal winning record behind it and look forward.
"We're healthy and that's the main thing," he said. "If we can stay healthy and keep everyone going, we'll have a much better year and certainly develop as a group."
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/rainstorm-dampens-tigers-camp-but-not-desire/2008/02/05/1202090421632.html
