Caitlin Bassett: Bonding exercises like West Coast Eagles’ dress-ups are more important than you might think

Those on the outside might feel life as an athlete is glamorous; but the reality is actually far from that. Like many athletes, I used to dread pre-season as each training session was a physical and mental challenge designed to push you to (and sometimes over) the edge. Seeing West Coast labelled as “ridiculous and unprofessional” after dressing up for a Friday training session seems to me like a complete lack of understanding of the importance of player wellbeing when it comes to performance. Inspired by the popular NBA ‘tunnel walks’, the Eagles players went all-out strutting through the club in a range of outfits amid their particularly hot and gruelling pre-season. While you might not agree with some of their costume choices, you have to applaud the players — in particular Elijah Hewett and Reuben Ginbey — for the effort they went to. Opportunities to lighten the mood and bond as a team need to be grabbed with both hands and I see it as a smart move for a club to encourage its players to do so, especially in a squad with such a range of ages, experience and personalities. As I got older and my teammates got younger, I found connecting with them on a social level was sometimes hard given the age difference. Instead of getting cranky about the increase in Taylor Swift music being played in the changeroom, I used it as an excuse to connect with the young ones and team playlists became an eclectic mix of genres which pumped everyone up pre-game. My disgust in hearing that the majority of the group had never seen the original Top Gun became the perfect bonding opportunity for a team movie night. While it could be seen as a distraction, things like our Halloween dress ups during Diamonds tours, actually gave us something different to think about. It is important to take opportunities to lighten the mood and the milestone of making it to the end of a gruelling pre-season is the perfect time to have some fun. The Eagles are the third youngest team in the competition with an average age of 23.7 and now Jeremy McGovern — at just 31 — is the oldest player in the group. The club welcomed five draftees and trade recruit Tyler Brockman from Hawthorn in the off-season and with just one pre-season to get things right, team bonding chances need to be cashed in on. With just five wins in the last two seasons, the Eagles are rebuilding and while it may look unprofessional to those outside the club, those on the inside will have a better understanding of what is best to boost morale, and in turn performance.