National lacrosse team confident after Dimboola camp
THE Australian men's lacrosse team has wrapped up its second Dimboola training camp, and its players feel confident ahead of the world championships in July.
The team trained at the Dimboola Health and Fitness Centre at Dimboola Memorial Secondary College from Friday to Sunday.
Head coach Glenn Meredith said the focus of the camp was team structure and game plan.
Meredith said the training had been more focused than in the squad's January visit.
"This time around it was probably a bit more intense because we're a team now, as opposed to last time when we were just a squad," he said.
"Now that the players have made the team they're vying for starting spots on the field when we go to the world championships in Denver."
Meredith said the team had been impressed during both visits to Dimboola, and hoped to continue a relationship with the town.
While the men's team will stop training together after the world championships, he said the venue could still be used for other teams.
"There's a four-year build up to the world championships team, so after Denver this one sort of dissipates and then the next one starts building up which is for Manchester in 2018," he said.
"I'm encouraging the under-19s who are coming up two years behind us to do the same program that we did.
"It'll be a year and a half or two years before the next team starts getting together for Manchester so I'd certainly be encouraging them, and the under-19s as well."
PUSH AND SHOVE: Australian lacrosse team-mates Will Pickett, left, and Nigel Morton tussle during a training camp for the team at Dimboola. The team will compete at the world lacrosse championships in Denver in July. Picture: SAMANTHA CAMARRI