Right off the bat, I am pleased to announce to you, my loyal readers, I have recently become the club’s Social Committee Chairman. Charged with making the big decisions when it comes to off-field bonding, I have surrounded myself with a strong group including Brent Harvey, Nathan Grima, Hamish McIntosh, Drew Petrie and Aaron Edwards.

We discussed making Boomer the Treasurer, but realised if we did that, the chances of seeing any cash would be slim because he is so tight and would ‘skim the till’. Apparently he is talking about getting an indoor basketball court added to his mansion in Yarrambat so there is a chance of him channeling funds towards that project.

Speaking of tight, Scott ‘dockets’ Thompson has been at it again by asking for receipts for tax purposes when he buys coffees and lunches with the team. It was brought up on Thursday night at our final meeting. Leigh Adams got up in front of the group and handed out fines for inappropriate behavior on the camp.

Some examples included:

Brad Scott for bringing his girlfriend to Utah (even though it was before the camp officially started)

Michael Firrito and Scott McMahon for buying clothes for their dogs

Darren Crocker for wearing jeans and sneakers on a hike (and in general)

Majak Daw for telling the physios he had a sore hip flexor while pointing to his backside

Pete Mulkearns for having the highest skin-folds

Will Sierakowski for not messaging blokes back after being traded

I reckon blokes like Ben Warren and the Delaney brothers should have been fined for wearing ‘skinny-leg’ tracksuit pants - they are a disgrace. In saying that, I will edit this out of the article in a month if I start wearing them (I have been one to jump on the fashion bandwagon).

However, the biggest fine went to Brad Scott for running out of ‘gas' on the highway when we were heading back from training this evening. We got halfway up a hill when it came to a halt. I was in the car along with Boomer, Drew and Brett Allison and we had to wait for Adam Aiello (our Sales and Sponsorship Manager) to bring us two bottles of unleaded.
But 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 into a spin and he started freaking out telling everyone to make sure we all ‘had our stories straight’ and that we weren’t carrying ‘anything illegal on our persons’ or ‘concealed weapons’.

When we finally got to the gas station, Brad jumped out to ‘fillerup’ and Drew sucked up by cleaning all the rubbish out of the back seat and washing the windows. He didn’t do a great job though and cleaned his side but left Brad’s dirty.

So the boys all leave Utah tomorrow (Friday) but I’ll stay on for another two weeks. I will be with Ryan Bastinac for a bit and then on my own to try and catch up on the altitude training. To be honest, I’m actually worried about getting lost on one of the hikes. I also heard there are massive moose out and about as well as scary little chipmunk things that jump out of trees at you. I heard the rumour about drop-bears but am convinced they’re not real.

I know the International Rules took a battering but for the players, it’s an absolute honour and something I hope continues. I can understand why some players opt not to participate given the rigours and length of the AFL season but we need to support it and keep encouraging the guys to get involved at some stage in their career. The best players aren’t going to be able to play every year, but it’s vital we get the right mix.

During the series I kept up-to-date with what the boys were doing in Utah on kangaroos.com.au and it seemed like the camp was every bit as tough as last year. Part of me wanted to be there, but I also realised that what I was doing would help my football in a much different way. When I was invited to join the Australian team, Brad Scott urged me to accept and enjoy the opportunity even though the timing wasn’t great.

Coming to Utah late was different and I really wanted to make sure I was able to match it with the boys in the fitness stakes.

All the training sessions and games for the International Rules series held me in good stead and I found I wasn’t too far off the pace.

Despite not getting the result we wanted, representing Australia was a great experience and I really took a lot out of playing under a different coach and alongside different blokes. It’s really interesting how your perceptions about certain opponents can be way off the mark when you actually get to know them on a personal level. It was also great to play on the Gold Coast and be able to catch up with my brother Dave for a bit.

So in closing, think of me shivering my way through knee-deep snow, being attacked by moose and flying chipmunks and getting lost on mountain trails while virtually breathing through a straw.

I hope the weather is good where you are!