Under-19s go into camp

Head coach Jarrad Loughman, who also attended the camp, was keen to see how the squad responded to stepping outside of their comfort zones.

“We wanted to replicate the carnival as much as possible,” Loughman said.

“There were lots of early mornings and tiring days, but to their credit the boys really stuck to the tasks we set out for them.

“We really wanted them to come together as a group and taking them out of their comfort zones really seems to bring them closer.”

“A lot of them were already friends but some were new to the group purely because they hadn’t played that much representative cricket.”

Participating in activities including surfing and mountain bike riding, the 13-man squad were also briefed about professionalism on and off the field.

“These boys are privileged to be representing Cricket Victoria, but there comes responsibilities with it all,” Player Development Manager Ben Robertson said.

“Things like using social media, nutrition, using supplements – we want them to be educated on all these things.”

The camp was also used to remind the squad about putting cricket in perspective with the rest of their lives.

“We had Paralympian Kelly Cartwright come in and talk about dealing with disappointments and resilience, which we think really helped,” Robertson said.

“Here’s a lady who’s had her leg amputated at 15 years of age and she’s been able to go onto bigger and better things.

“These boys want to take their cricket as far as possible, but it’s important for them to know they can’t be completely wrapped up in the game.

“So if they do happen to have an average tournament, we want them to have a release that’s unrelated to the sport – whatever it may be.

“We try and teach them that there’s life outside of cricket.”

The Under-19 National Championships will be played in Hobart from December 2 to 12.