Prince Alfred College wins third Messenger Shield First XVIII football title

THE road to Prince Alfred College’s unbeaten Messenger Shield school football campaign began on a surprise weekend bootcamp in summer.

THE road to Prince Alfred College’s unbeaten Messenger Shield campaign began on a surprise weekend bootcamp in summer.

Princes won the First XVIII college football competition for the third time in five years when they defeated archrival St Peter’s at home last month.

But the seeds of that success were sown when new coach Steve Geyer invited a friend, a former STAR Group officer, to test the squad physically and mentally over eight hours one Sunday in February.

Starting at the Kent Town school, players were divided into small groups before performing such tasks as carrying logs above their heads around the River Torrens, building rope towers and making carts from various materials stable enough to carry teammates.

“It was a really successful day,” says Geyer, a former Woodville-West Torrens player.

“He was a pretty hard taskmaster … but it gave us an insight from a coaching perspective on how they gelled together and work in a team environment.

“That actually transpired into a game because come game time, they all played their role.

“It’s a pretty special group.”

Prince Alfred captain Bryce Woolard says the squad was “pretty scared and anxious” when told about the bootcamp.

“It was probably one of the toughest days I’ve ever had training, not just physical but mental,” Woolard says.

“But it was real enjoyable being around the lads the whole day.

“I think it was (the start of the journey) because everyone had to use a lot of voice, keep everyone going and get that team bond.”

Prince Alfred also won the five-year-old competition, which features six colleges in a round-robin format, in 2010 and 2012.

Woolard, a Glenelg under-18 player, says he will cherish the memories from this season.

“It means the world to captain a great group of lads and lead the school to win the Intercol (against St Peter’s) and Messenger Shield because I love this school.”