Ever wondered what happens when a football side travels interstate for a match of football? There’s more to an interstate trip than just turning up to the match. Nick Wade traveled with the triumphant VFL contingent to Tasmania and gives you a special look at the two-day trip.

Friday

9am – The team’s hard working band of support staff arrive early to ensure all items of property for the trip are correctly packed and ready to travel by plane. On top of all personal baggage of the players and staff, more than 25 additional items of essential match day property is packed ready to fly to Tasmania. Nothing is left to chance as the diligent group of staff set out to make the interstate experience as close to a normal routine as possible.

Caretaker VFL property steward Luke McDonald looks after everything from the team’s jumpers to the tackle bags, while trainer Paul Costa bundles together everything from the medical strapping tape to the team’s stretcher and the players’ mouth guards. Three eskies and a Powerade container are packed, as are the team’s drink bottles and miscellaneous items right down to plastic bags for the after match icepacks. Even seemingly bulky items such as massage tables and the coach’s whiteboard are packed and ready to travel, as nothing is compromised.

10.45am – The final players arrive and team manager Vic Fuller gives the all clear for the bus to depart to the airport. Players pass time by playing poker and listening to music.

12.00pm – Players and staff check into the airport, where they are all distributed with a bottle of water, a salad roll, fruit and several muffins for the flight. Players exhaust the airport’s newsagency and music store.

,p>12.50pm – The travel contingent of 24 players and 20 staff travel on the 12.50pm Jetstar flight to Hobart.

2.30pm – A brief training run at Bellerive Oval where the squad fine tunes its match preparation in pleasant conditions. After sitting on a bus for an hour and a plane for as many minutes, the players relished the chance to acclimatise on the picturesque oval. With the oval being used only two weeks ago for the culmination of the 2006/07cricket season, groundsmen were saturating the centre wicket area to ensure its safety.

4.00pm – After checking into individual rooms at the Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel, a team of club trainers and masseurs give every player a 30-minute massage before dinner, with any potential injury looked at and assessed. Match day equipment is stored in a hotel function room, ready to be instantly accessed upon request throughout the evening.

6.00pm – Dinner is a smorgasbord of pastas, rice and casseroles. Never let a footballer lead you to the food because they make light work of any free feed and you may go hungry!

7.00pm – The squad and coaching staff assemble in the hotel’s theatrette. Leigh Tudor discusses the potential Tasmanian line up and passes around sheets with information on the opposition. A video of Tasmanian edits is shown to the players to get an understanding of how the Devils play. He invites feedback from the floor, where many players participate in offering advice on tactics and opposition.

7.30pm – The players have their own time to relax before the game. Many converge to a communal room to play games of cards or poker, while the Richmond-Collingwood Friday night match on television, followed by the Australia-Ireland Super 8 World Cup match and the numerous satellite television channels are appetising viewing for the squad.

Saturday

8.30am – Breakfast, comprising of the stock-standard cereals, toast and fruit, is served for an hour from 8.30. Players and staff digest the local sporting news, which focuses its attention on the first home game for the Devils that afternoon. For the regular VFL players, exposure of this degree is not a common experience and they enjoy the publicity they receive.

10am – Recovering Cat Tom Lonergan, who made the trip to Tasmania with the squad, sets off with club doctor Geoff Allan for a run and skills session at a nearby recreation reserve.

Support staff pack the match day gear ready to be transported to Bellerive Oval. The match day delivery of drinks from Powerade is picked up and sorted into eskies. The massage tables and massage oils used throughout the trip are stored away in readiness for the match.

10.30am – The players assemble outside the hotel entrance for a walk and stretch session around the local suburbs. The players are looked after with boxes of water and Powerade waiting for them upon arrival. A further injury assessment is undertaken for any players feeling the need to be looked at by the doctor or physio.

11.30am – The players return from their walk and have a pre match meal in the hotel’s dining room. The meal is a light one loaded with carbohydrates for the game ahead. Three members of the team’s support staff leave for the ground to set up in readiness for the players, while the remaining staff and coaches travel with the team by bus.

12.15pm – The squad arrives at Bellerive Oval and the players begin their pre match preparations. A drink station has been set up and match day jumpers have been arranged for the players to collect in their own time.

12.30pm – Leigh Tudor reiterates his message to the players in the pre match team meeting. The team’s support and medical staff work feverishly to prepare the players for the game.

2.00pm – Match commences. A healthy crowd of about 5,000 people is on hand to support the local side, while a captive audience is watching the match live on ABC TV. After a competitive first half, the Cats superior fitness and experience came to the fore, slamming on ten goals in the last quarter to cruise to a 67-point win.

4.45pm – The hour succeeding the game is a hectic one of high demands. While some of the equipment can be packed ready for the return flight immediately following the match, much cannot be packed as the players are still dependant on it – including eskies, rub down tables, dirty jumpers and medial equipment. It takes a team effort from the staff to pack the mass of gear into an accepted form for travel.

5.45pm – The gear is loaded onto the bus and the players and staff board for the short trip to the airport. The players are issued with a bottle of water for the return flight.

6.45pm – The traveling contingent travel on the 6.45pm Jetstar flight back to Melbourne.

8.00pm – The gear is hauled from the conveyer belt, as other commuters from the flight look on in amazement at the magnitude of the team’s property. After an exhausting two days, many players sleep on the return trip, while others listen to the football on the radio or gaze over their match day stats.

9.00pm – The bus arrives at Skilled Stadium. The property is taken inside and tediously unloaded. This process can take anywhere in the vicinity of an hour. The jumpers are put through the washing machines, drink bottles are machine-washed and the medial equipment is replenished – and that is before much of the property has been unpacked.

10.00pm – Last member of the support staff leaves Skilled Stadium. For some staff, an 8.30am start beckons them the following morning for the AFL match at the MCG against Melbourne.