“I’M LOVING it, I’ve fallen in love with the Club — it’s a great place.”
A fresh start in the Navy Blue has been just what the doctor ordered for Jack Newnes.
With over 150 games of senior experience, Newnes has been labelled as one of the standout trainers of the summer so far by his new teammates.
Speaking from his first pre-season camp at his new club, Newnes wrapped up the proceedings from Mooloolaba, detailing the physical and mental reward of it all.
He said the new environment was one that he was relishing as he attempts to put his best foot forward on the eve of the season.
“I don’t know about being one of the best trainers, but I’ve been giving it my all and I’m trying to earn the respect of the team and coaches,” he said.
“It’s a fresh start for me, which is probably just what I needed.
“[The camp] was a bit of a freshen up before the season starts and we nailed our values as a team, which we want to live by for the year and years to come. The boys had a lot of say in that, there was great buy-in.”
As the countdown for the season gets shorter, the heat at training gets dialled up, with the Blues saving their biggest session of match simulation for the camp’s final day.
While crediting the widespread commitment and “buzz” around the group, there was one thing on a personal level which stood out for the new No.32.
“As the match simulation has gone on, we’ve got to wear the Carlton jumpers — I got the Navy Blue on for the first time three weeks ago and I felt good,” he said.
"I felt like I was halfway out the door... It’s a scary thought to think that at some stage, it’s going to be gone."
— Carlton FC (@CarltonFC) February 6, 2020
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“[Friday] was probably the biggest session we’ve done in the last three months. We had a pretty big footy session, did a bit of running and then jumped on the buses for some hill runs.
“I loved [the camp]… you got to spend a lot of time together. I was rooming with ‘Plow’ and ‘TDK’, which was good: ‘TDK’ was an absolute mess, ‘Plow’ was alright.”
When last speaking to Carlton Media, Newnes detailed his excitement about working with a playing group he had yet to meet.
Now, with four months of training under everyone’s belt, he said he was pleasantly surprised by what he had seen to date.
In particular, he said the willingness across the board to take ownership of the Club’s direction was “pretty special”.
“The competitive spirit within them is something else. I think the group’s very hungry,” he said.
“It’s not just the younger boys but the whole group.
“We’ve got an unbelievable leadership group at the moment who have really taken charge.”
