NMFC.com.au retraces the journey from North’s pre-season camps.
Speaking just after the first camp finished, defender Daniel Pratt explained how important it was for the 2010-2011 Roos.
"North Melbourne has never been in a position to do anything like this and to be able to get away for three weeks with 40 players is a great building block," Pratt said.
"At high altitude it was pretty tough…it's given us a good base for the season."
Brad Scott was preparing for his third season as North coach when the first Utah trip was underway. He immediately saw the benefits of the time away.
"The reason I was so keen to undertake a camp like that was mainly due to the maturity and the age of our playing group.
"We've made significant improvements in the pre-season already. Our aim is to have our players return in better condition (from Utah), and then build on those gains through our training."
The tough conditions during hikes in 2010 were summed up by Nathan Grima’s inimitable style.
“It’s one of the hardest things I’ve had to do.
“We were all pretty stuffed when we got back to the lodges.”
It was more of the same in 2011. Staying at The Montage resort atop Empire Pass, the team was situated several thousand feet above sea level.
Snow Park Village was 7200 feet above, Silver Lake Village 8100 feet and finally Empire Pass at 8145 feet above sea level.
It made even the simplest day-to-day tasks an ordeal, as Majak Daw described.
“Sleeping was a challenge and you have to experience the conditions to know what it's like. At altitude, the air is thinner and there is not enough oxygen for the body to take in. It takes a good week to adjust and some of the players say it’s like breathing through a straw. That's probably the best way to describe it.”
However there was still time to experience the lighter side on camp number two, as Andrew Swallow discovered.
“The biggest fine went to Brad Scott for running out of gas on the highway when we were heading back from training. We got halfway up a hill when it came to a halt. We had to wait for our sales and sponsorship manager to bring us two bottles of unleaded.
“In the hour and a half we spent on the roadside there was plenty of drama. We were there for no more than 20 minutes when a policeman drove by. Before we knew it, he had pulled up behind us – lights flashing. This sent Drew (Petrie) into a spin and he started freaking out.”
The 2012 Utah camp greeted the players with an unseasonably high volume of snow, falling two weeks earlier than normal.
To combat the weather, there was a slightly different focus to the trip.
“It’s more a high volume skill camp but fortunately we can do it at altitude and get the physiological benefits of that as well,” nutrition and conditioning coach Jona Segal said at the time.
“There’ll be a lot of outdoor running sessions and if we do come across some heavy snow during some of those days, we might drop elevation.”
“We’re ready to experience a variety of conditions over the three week period and it won’t matter what comes our way, the guys will be pushed to their limits no matter what.”
In the same year, Sam Gibson smashed running records, winning all 1.6km time-trials. It was a sneak peek of what North fans have become accustomed to seeing over the past two seasons.
Luke McDonald also spent his first period of time with the club. A year before he was taken as a father-son selection in the National Draft, the son of Donald opted out of celebrating the end of high school to travel to the other side of the world.
“I was a bit nervous because I don’t really know many of the boys that well, obviously my dad works here and I’ve said ‘Hi’ to them and all that, but on a personal basis, I don’t know any of them at all,” McDonald said.
“Coming to Utah and getting this experience is awesome and that made me really excited to get a leg-up on all the kids in my age group.”
The most recent Utah camp, 2013, was a period of adjustment. With so many new additions to the coaching staff – and three draftees joining in the middle of the trip – it was a matter of getting to know everyone.
New senior assistant coach Leigh Tudor was one of the heralded arrivals, joining a club which he had played for two decades earlier.
“When you look at the games played for the young guys…they’re starting to get that experience. Once you get to that 80odd games, you’re going to start playing your best footy and I’m looking forward to watching the group grow.”
According to Sam Wright, the group had matured, and he saw a changed team in Utah in 2013.
“There’s just a different feeling around the group – it’s hard to explain. Watching the boys go through the match simulation, it’s really exciting to watch,” he said.
“I really believe that something’s clicked. I know it sounds a bit cliché, but the penny’s dropped that we’re not young anymore. We’ve built our list up really well and it’s time to start delivering.”
Eventually Wright was proved correct, as North progressed to a preliminary final in 2014. This year it will be the younger players with a sprinkling of experience travelling overseas, aiming to at least back up this season’s result in 2015.
