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Saturday was game day and breakfast was served in the meeting/dining room between 7:30 and 9:30am. I am an early riser so I was one of the first at breakfast with others coming at a time that best suited them. Our “Challenge Family”, as we liked to refer to James, Natalie, Emma and Zoe, were guests at the breakfast and once again we ensured they were made to feel part of the team. They were not staying at the same hotel but were keen to come along to the breakfast.

Following breakfast there were two options for the players; a walk, stretch and swim on the ocean or a game of mini-golf. While most took the first option a number of players did go to mini-golf for some relaxation and they were joined by our “Challenge Family” who also enjoyed the morning. Eddie Betts insisted he was the winner of the mini-golf challenge but that has not been confirmed.

The walk and stretch may have been as per usual but the swim certainly wasn’t. The water is so much warmer than in Melbourne and it was very refreshing, even if it was just a quick dip. I know the locals believe the water is cold at this time of the year but they don’t know what cold is until they join us for our recovery sessions at the Melbourne beaches in winter.

The rest of the day was for relaxing and preparation with lunch served from noon. A number of line meetings with assistant coaches were held in the morning or just after lunch and a team meeting was held at 1:30pm. A pre-game meal was available at 3.30pm. Strapping etc. was done at the hotel from 4:00pm and the bus left the hotel for Gold Coast Stadium just before 5:00pm.

Suffice the say the game was disappointing for the team and the Club. However it was encouraging to hear the great Carlton support during the match if only we could have given the supporters a victory to give them something to celebrate. James was again at the ground and he was one of two mascots that ran onto the ground with us prior to the game and it was also disappointing that we could not celebrate a victory with our “Challenge Family” after the game. They were waiting for us as we left the ground after the game and while disappointed like all of us, you could see it had meant a lot to the family.

James came into our rooms after the game and all the players signed his autograph book as a special memory for him. It is never easy after a loss but it was important for us to take the time to ensure he had special memories of his weekend with Carlton. A win and we had all agreed at breakfast that James could join the players to sing the song after the game, it wasn’t to be but we hope he enjoyed his Carlton weekend.

We didn’t shower at the ground, instead we completed our warm down and then headed back to the hotel to shower and have a post-game meal. It was around midnight when we had finished our meal and some players went straight to their room to try to sleep, some stayed in the meeting room for a chat and others met with family members and staff in the hotel. It is always difficult to get to sleep after a night game so being together as a Club helps the players relax a little before trying to get to sleep.

Sunday morning was a recovery session at the beach, breakfast and some time to relax before traveling to the Gold Coast Airport for our flight back to Melbourne. We arrived back in Melbourne around 2:30pm for an afternoon off before starting all over again on Monday morning at 9:00am.

A disappointing result for us and another game that we need to learn from. From an off-field perspective it was great that the Carlton Football Club was in a position to provide a special weekend for our “Challenge Family” and aside from not winning, we hope there are some wonderful memories for them. I know we certainly admire the family and have our own memories of these special people.

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