They say that failing to plan is planning to fail - Essendon has no intention of letting that happen. An intensive five-day training camp at Windy Hill commenced yesterday and it will see the ground rules for season 2003 set in stone. The camp will encompass normal training including skills, weights, speed and pool work, as well as involve a variety of workshops on topical issues such as AFL anti doping code, racial vilification and sexual harassment.

Bomber assistant coach Robert Shaw said the camp is a good opportunity for the players and coaches to establish goals and strategies for the year ahead. The players were involved in workshops yesterday morning and then enjoyed a group lunch at the EFC social club. After lunch they were broken into five groups and participated in four different activities including weights and nutrition. Essendon supporters wanting to watch the team train this week, can check out skills training at La Trobe University main oval on Wednesday and Friday at 10am.

Shaw said the internal training camp is different to what the club has done in the past. “We are currently in the middle of a week long 'internal camp' using our auditorium and new facilities. We didn't see much point in going externally for the camp because of the fantastic facilities we have on site. There are also a lot of issues to be addressed given the changes that have taken place to our list. So the week basically involved a lot of meetings, presentations, combined with our 'bread and butter' training in weights, fitness and football,"" Shaw said.

As reported on the BomberLand website, the team will also participate in training camps in Bendigo and Sydney in the coming weeks. “We will spend four days in Bendigo in the first week of February in a combination of practice games, community work and visits and presentations. This is obviously something we haven't done before, but the team is looking forward to spending time making an impact on the Bendigo community,"" Shaw said.

""Our third training camp in Sydney has managed to combine our first practice game against the Swans at North Shore Oval on Sunday, February 16th. The match is crucial as it marks the first stage of our playing season and the first genuine look at our team against opposition. We will then stay in Sydney for the week undertaking training, lectures, guest speaker presentations and marketing before heading to Canberra by bus on Thursday, February 20th where we will finalise our preparation for the vital first match of the Wizard Cup against the Kangaroos. I believe that represents an intense, but exciting and vibrant preseason component as we move into and concentrate on our preparation for season 2003,"" Shaw said.