But the travelling party, which includes all 38 currently listed Lions players, will have plenty of time to ‘catch-up’ on the way to their training base, North Arizona University.
The team will spend the bulk of the next 24 hours in transit, with a 21-hour flight (which includes a short stopover in Los Angeles) followed by a three-hour bus ride from Phoenix to Flagstaff.
But the time spent away together could prove to be just as valuable as the training itself.
New Senior Coach Justin Leppitsch says he’s looking forward to making some strong bonds ahead of the Lions’ 2014 campaign.
“When you are trying to mesh in players with a new coach, it’s great to get away for a period of time so you can get that tighter bond that will serve you well later down the track. That’s the No.1 thing (the coaches) want to get out of it,’’ Leppitsch said told The Courier Mail.
“We will also introduce our game plan for the season and other things we are going to do too, so it’s an important time for our footy club.
“We can really take our campaign forward.”
Leppitsch will be just one of the many new faces at the Club heading to Arizona, along with Peter Schwab (Head of Coaching & Development), Mitch Hahn (Development Coach), and the Lions’ latest on-field recruits Jonathan Freeman, Trent West, Jackson Paine, and Luke McGuane.
More than 20 of the playing group will be heading to Arizona for the first time.
Lions fans can keep up-to-date with the latest news, videos and photos from the Club’s high altitude camp courtesy of the Arizona Hub on lions.com.au.
