Interstate trips are a lot of fun.

Of course the purpose of the trip is to play footy and every activity revolves around preparing for the game.

However, with a group of 23 friends/teammates spending 36-hours together there are always a lot laughs, jokes and interesting stories that come away from interstate trips.

I thought this week I’d give you a rundown of what’s involved when a team travels from a player’s perspective.

SATURDAY

All of the girls who live in Geelong met together at the club and caught a bus to Tullamarine.

Most of the girls listened to music and Julia Crockett-Grills who has labelled herself the ‘Queen of Bangers’ ran us through some of her favourite songs to add to our playlists. Living with Jules, I have heard these songs many times, almost daily, played at very high decibels throughout our house.

Once we arrived at the airport we checked in our luggage and headed to the Virgin Lounge where we had free time. The girls playing in the forward line met up and ran through our structures for the game the next day.

When the plane touched down we went straight to Norwood Oval where we would be playing in less than 24-hours time. The girls spent about 45 minutes on the ground looking at its eccentricities.

Every ground is unique. For me, I look at the size and shape of the ground, whether there’s a breeze, the grass length, how the ball bounces and how close the 50m is to the centre square.

The ground at Norwood was quite soft underfoot, the grass was long, it was a narrow with small wings and there was a slight hill in the goal square at one end. Some of the girls had a kick, did a few short run throughs and from there we headed to our hotel, checked in and had dinner.

Our roommates for the weekend were chosen by the line you were playing in (forward, back, mid) and then alphabetically by your surname. For example, forwards Maddie Boyd and Mia-Rae Clifford were paired together. This made a few people laugh as Boydy is super quiet whilst Mia, is quite possibly the loudest on the team.

Dinners when you’re away are tricky as you’re often spoilt for choice. There’s steak, chicken, stir-fry, pasta, fruit, veggies, yoghurt and choccy milk. You almost want to have one of everything, but you need to stop yourself and think about portion sizes and what you’d normally eat at home.

Following dinner you had the option to have an ice bath, a swim in the pool or a massage. I did all three and went to sleep knowing I’d done everything possible to prepare for the match the following day.

SUNDAY

I have no trouble sleeping the night before a match so I woke up feeling refreshed. Breakfast was at the hotel and then we had a couple of hours of spare time before we needed to get ready for the game. I caught up with my parents who had travelled over from Melbourne to watch for a quick coffee.

Our team physio and trainers strapped ankles, shoulders, thumbs, knees etc for the match. Every time our physio Tanya straps my shoulder she assures me that “it’s the best shoulder strapping she’s ever done”. She has had a lot of practice strapping it three times a week for the past three months.

On the way to the ground everyone has their own routine. Whether you want to talk to a teammate, sit by yourself, have a laugh in a group, everyone does what they need to put themselves in the best mindset possible to prepare for the game.

Whenever a debutant plays their first game, they are presented with their jumper before the game in front of their teammates, family and friends. On Sunday Rocky and Hickey received their jumpers and I noticed Mel Hickey’s mum Linda straight away when we walked into the rooms. Our captain receiving her first jumper was a really special moment for Hickey, her mum, her teammates and the club. Linda looked proud as punch. Jumper presentations are one of my favourite traditions.

Unfortunately the game itself didn’t run as smoothly as the rest of the weekend. The Crows were a very well-drilled side and their systems, set-ups and skills were too good for us on the day.

Straight after the game we were given food to help with recovery and got straight on the bus to the airport. Unfortunately our flight was delayed and we didn’t get back to Geelong until 12am. It’s a busy 36-hours and I felt for the girls who had work the following morning.

Even though we didn’t win on the weekend, there were a lot of positives to come away from the trip. Friendships were strengthened, new friends were made and the team came home closer because of it.

In saying that I can’t wait to play at home tomorrow on our home turf in front of our fans. No need to do a walk through on GMHBA Stadium. We know that ground VERY well.