Adelaide’s SA/WA Recruiting Manager Phil Bunn has joined the AIS-AFL Academy on its two-week tour of Europe.

Bunn, who joined the Club from Port Adelaide late-last year, will keep a diary of the trip, bringing you up to date with the team’s performances and adventures, and providing an insight to this year’s hottest draft prospects.

Here’s the next instalment …

Day Five, London

After a full day of travel from Milan to London the touring party finally arrived at the Holiday Inn in Guildford about 5.00pm.

As usual, the players were soon back into it, with a light jog and gym session organised to help get their bodies moving ahead of tomorrow morning’s training session.

After dinner at the hotel, the players had a quick team meeting and then were then joined by the parents and recruiters to listen to the inspirational story of Jason McCartney – survival and comeback after the Bali Bombings in 2002.

Jason, who is now the List Manager at the Western Bulldogs, spoke about the night of the bombings and the series of events that followed. His story was one of triumph, determination and commitment to overcome a horrific tragedy. His remarkable story left a lasting impression on everybody in the room.

Day Six, London

A brisk English morning awaited the boys for their first full training session in England, which was held at the Surrey Sports Complex. It was nice to see an Australian Rules footy oval with the four posts at each end amongst the countless Soccer and Rugby fields spread across the vast playing fields.

The chill in the air goes straight through you if you’re not suitably prepared with multiple layers of clothing; scarves, beanies and the warmest jacket you can find.

To the boys’ credit they hit the track with a youthful enthusiasm that could only be admired by the brave parents and recruiters standing on the sidelines.

Training drills for the session were shared by the assistant coaches, with all the support staff offering encouragement to the players and coaches in the icy conditions.

The quality of training is quite outstanding given the freezing weather. It’s a good reminder that this talented group of young men are the elite players in Australia and will take great pride in representing their country the next day.

Even the lads still involved in the rehabilitation group are working diligently on the sidelines. Some hold the faint hope they might be able to play in one of the upcoming games scheduled on the tour.

Training ends after a solid 80-minute workout and everyone is very pleased to get back to the warm hotel to thaw out their frozen limbs. For the boys the ‘cold’ didn't end there, as they were required to go through the hot and cold bath routine back in their rooms as part of their recovery.

The afternoon was free time for the boys, many of whom wandered down into the town of Guildford. Others were interviewed by recruiters back at the hotel.

Many of the parents in the touring party caught a bus for a tour of Windsor Castle (the Queen's weekender) and Eton, the school where Prince William & Prince Harry were educated.

The AIS players were joined for dinner by their opponents for tomorrow, the European Legion team, at world famous chef Jamie Oliver's restaurant in Guilford.

Players from both sides were looking forward to the game tomorrow, when the Aussie lads would finally get the chance to do what they do best.