Crows recruit Ben Davis was among the standouts at a beach training session on Saturday.
To break up the monotonous routine of pre-season, Adelaide’s AFL squad hit Glenelg Beach for a workout with a difference over the weekend. The players were split into groups and competed in a series of activities, including a swim, board paddling, beach volleyball and sandcastle building.
Davis, who hails from the beachside suburb of Maroubra in New South Wales, athletic rookie Paul Hunter, former junior surf lifesaver Cam Ellis-Yolmen and surfer Rory Sloane starred at sea.
Some others certainly looked more at home on dry land!
“Benny Davis, our new recruit, is a fish!” said Sloane.
“So are Paul Hunter and also Cam Ellis-Yolmen. Those boys all like to surf as well. ‘Lairdy’ should stay out of the water! Eddie Betts is a rock, or a pebble – he just sinks to the bottom!”
Sloane and Ellis-Yolmen’s team, which also included Sam Jacobs, Jake Lever, Kyle Hartigan, Wayne Milera Junior and Mitch McGovern, took out the title for tallest sandcastle.
Charlie Cameron’s team came last despite a creative approach which saw Cameron sit atop the sandcastle with buckets on his head.
Charlie Cameron's 'creative' sandcastle-making approach
The Crows finished the early-morning session by taking on the ‘Big Wedgie’ slide on Colley Reserve.
Harry Thompson, son of Scott, and Tom Lynch’s son Koby joined their dads on the world’s tallest standalone inflatable waterslide.
“We’ve been racing on the ‘Big Wedgie’, which was by far the highlight of the day!” Sloane said.
“It was pretty quick! And it was hard to see anything with the water shooting up into your face.”
Competitive training is ramping up at Adelaide ahead of the JLT Community Series.
The Crows play their first game on Friday, February 24, against Richmond at Etihad Stadium.
“Now, at training we start to do more game-like stuff, almost mini match-simulation games,” Sloane said.
“You know when they start to come around in training that games are getting close.”
Jake Kelly on the Big Wedgie
