ENERGISED leader Tom Rockliff is recommending the Brisbane Lions send a larger squad to train at altitude next year after returning from a successful two-week stint in Arizona.
The 21-year-old vice-captain was one of five Lions - with captain Jonathan Brown and fellow leaders Daniel Merrett, Simon Black and Jed Adcock - who headed to the United States on a fact-finding mission for the club.
While clubs like Collingwood and Gold Coast sent their entire squads to train at altitude, the Lions decided to test the waters first by sending a small entourage.
The players returned to Australia on Tuesday and are in the process of relaying their thoughts to the club.
Rockliff, the 2011 Club Champion, was raving about the experience, saying he had no doubt the Lions should send more players over in the future.
He was the most junior member of the travelling quintet by five years, but said physically he felt the benefits of training in the thinner air almost immediately.
"You saw the improvements you could make in two weeks over there," Rockliff said.
"The way we were running when we got there to when we left was phenomenal. It's amazing to think you get so much out of a short period of time, you can squeeze it (training) in and you recover so well.
"It's a good change-up and you can train so hard every day. Maybe it's the cold weather or the altitude but you definitely train harder and that's all you focus on, get in and get the session done and you don't have to worry about any outside influences."
The five Lions also took part in some leadership programs, with club welfare development manager Manny Lynch part of the travelling group for the first week.
Rockliff said getting to know his more experienced teammates was another bonus of the trip.
"It was especially good for the older blokes to get out of Brisbane for a while," Rockliff said.
"They've been doing pre-seasons for 10 to 15 years and just to get out and not have to come in [to the club] every day, and it's a different environment and you get so much out of training.
"I've only been here for a couple of years but it's broken up the pre-season really well for me.
"I suppose I was a bit of a test bunny for the younger blokes to go over there and I'll definitely think they'll be taking more over there in the future to get big rewards. [We] definitely [should] take more boys over there. "
The players' training included mountain bike rides, hiking the Grand Canyon, and scaling the peak of Mt Humphreys, which stands 3851m above sea level.
Rockliff will return to training on Thursday afternoon, while the more experienced players have been given the rest of the week off.
Michael Whiting covers Brisbane Lions' news for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @mike_whiting
