Greetings from Fiji…
Hi there GIANTS fans. I’m currently in Fiji on a very special trip with the AFL, seeing first hand some of the exciting talent that is coming out of the South Pacific.
I’m here with West Coast star Nic Natanui – so don’t worry I’ll certainly be keeping on top of my training. Over the next few days I’ll be keeping you posted on some of the exciting things that we see and do over here.
It’s nice and warm at the moment, it is 30 something degrees. It’s a nice change from Sydney, I heard it’s been raining the last couple of days.
Things have been going really well so far. It’s my first time in Fiji but I’ve found that it’s actually really similar to Tonga. There’s not much difference between the two except that the city in Fiji is more developed than in Tonga.
It’s a great experience to be able to come and see another country. Last year, Nic Nat and I went to Tonga for the Oceana Cup Carnival.
For me personally, I understand a lot more about AFL this time around. After spending a year playing it, I understand things a lot more when I’m sitting and watching the games.
We had a big day yesterday, we watched some carnival games but they were fairly short.
The carnival officially kicked off today.
We watched a lot of teams play. There are around eight guys here from the Tongan team so they play in a mixed side.
What really surprised me are the skills that the Fijians have.
I never expected to play AFL so I’ve had to learn quickly. These kids have got the time to develop their skills and train. AFL has really only just arrived here in the last couple of years but they are very quick learners.
Quinny gave me a training program before I left Australia. It’s got a little bit of everything in it: boxing, running, swimming and bike riding so I’ve been finding time in our schedule to get it done. Make sure you check out our work out video.
You really notice the difference training in the heat. It’s humid and hard but you feel really good afterwards.
In the afternoon today I went for a run and did some weights training. I was able to do some skills work with Tony Woods and Nic Natinui.
Having Nic Nat around to train with is great. I ask him a lot of questions and he really helps me. I ask him what the intensity is like at AFL level and about different defenders in the game that he’s played on when he’s been up forward. He’s helping me know what to expect next year.
We’re good mates. Most of the time we’ve been watching a lot of footy, talking to the kids and trying to help them.
