Melbourne Day 2: Eat Breath Sleep Footy

Day two - we are in full swing of the IC. Finally out of a jet lag haze, practice was much sharper and crisp today. Jet lag coming this way isn't as bad - you sleep as much on the plane, arrive in the morning, stay up all day, then hit the sack around 8ish and sleep till 6. Do that two nights in a row and you feel normal again. Its amazing what sitting on a plane for 16 hours and doing nothing for two days does to your body. Legs are very tight. Practice in the afternoon yesterday was vigorous. Sprints with the ball. Heart was pounding. This morning, legs sore and still tight.

Its 24 hour footy. The focus is all on Denmark tomorrow. You wake up, meat the team for breakie, talk, think, eat footy. 8am run/stretch/kick/practice. Rest. Eat lunch. 1pm meeting for strategy and then off for another practice. Back and rest - watch footy on the tele (it seems like there is a game on at all times). It's all footy. All the time. The amount of footy knowledge I'm surrounded by is amazing. I was told by Earl Evon (Boston Demon and Revo 05) that in these two weeks I will learn more footy than I knew before - its true.

Starting line-ups were announced at the strategy meeting. Only 24 dress for the game. 18 play, 6 on inter change. Both Bruce and myself were named as starters. Bruce played on the 05 squad - this is my first IC and first official cap as a national team member.

So after a year and half of training, three Revo camps, a dislocated shoulder, and many miles training - it's here. Tomorrow vs Denmark the tip goes up at 1:20 pm local Melbourne time. The game will be fast and intense. It won't be like Milwaukee verse Minnesota where you applaud a good mark by a fellow Revo teammate on the opposite team. Now that will make you mad and get you fired up. The other team will be out for our heads - literally. But we are fired up and ready for the task. Game by game the march towards the MCG goes on.

The theme for Revo 08 is trust. Trust in everything that goes on in the team. Trust your teammate will be there for the leading run into open space. Trust you have that sheppard waiting next to you. Trust that the red white and blue will be there no matter where you turn.

I'm completely fired up and stoked for tomorrow's game. I get to represent the US of A. The adrenaline will be running high, nerves flying as usual. But when the tip goes up, it's just another footy game - maybe a little faster and fierce than usual, but it's a just another footy game.

Courtesy of USFootyNews.com  

- Andy Vanica
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