Perth Glory captain JACOB BURNS writes an exclusive diary for thewest.com.au on the A-League club’s pre-season tour of South Africa …
Jacob Burns Tour Diary – Entry Three
Kruger National Park Safari/Elephant Sanctuary Visit
On Tuesday, we had a one-day safari in Kruger National Park, although I actually didn’t go this time as I’ve been before on our other trips to South Africa.
When the boys came back they were delighted because they’d been lucky enough to have a herd of elephants cross in front of them on the road, and they’d seen rhinos and hippos and quite a few other animals as well.
It was an eye opener for the lads who are on their first trip and they had a brilliant experience.
You can’t really come to South Africa without going on a safari and Kruger is probably one of the best places to see the amazing animals that are out there.
The day was capped off by a nice barbecue at our Ingwenyama Resort training base. They put on a really good spread for the players and staff, which was much appreciated and after a long day at the safari. The boys were definitely happy to dig in.
We followed that up by going to the Elephant Whispers sanctuary where you can interact with elephants.
It was my second visit, but being able to touch the elephants and get photos standing up against them and so on is something that never gets old.
It was one of the highlights of the trip last year for me and it was the same again this time. The boys absolutely loved it.
Elephants are just fantastic animals and the boys got some great pictures of themselves getting up close and personal with them.
Second Tour Game – Tuks FC 2-0 Perth Glory
From a personal point of view, I was really pleased to get through the 45 minutes feeling strong.
After the kind of niggly injury that I’ve had with my quad, you always want to get back on the park as quickly as possible.
We erred on the side of caution, with me missing the first game and only playing 45 minutes of the second, and that seems to have worked out well because I felt strong and got through it.
We went into the second half 2-0 down, so it was good that we managed to establish a bit more structure in that second period and we were unlucky not to get a couple of goals and tie the game up.
They (Tuks) didn’t really have much in the second half and we had some really good chances.
In saying that, we know we can perform better than that and that’s not taking anything away from Tuks. They were another really good, hard opponent, just like the Black Aces side we played in the first game. They looked fit, strong, organised and ready to go.
As I’ve said before, results aren’t always the most important thing on trips like this, it’s more about what you get out of the games and I think the boys learned a few things from that second game.
We definitely found out how organised the structure needs to be in order to play well against these teams.
We did have a long bus trip from Ingwenyama to the ground and we were pretty much straight off the bus and into the game which obviously wasn’t ideal, but we’re not using that as an excuse.
A lot of the simple things we can do better, although we did show that we want to build up from the back and we did create good opportunities while limiting theirs after the break.
Wednesday’s game v SuperSport United
I feel fit and back to my normal self and I’m really looking forward to playing against SuperSport.
We’ve watched them beat Manchester City in a game that they keep replaying on TV here and judging by that performance, they are arguably going to be our hardest opponents on this trip.
I can’t wait to get out there and hopefully stay on the field for as long as possible, and it would be nice to come back with a result as well as a good performance against a quality opponent.
Johannesburg
We’re in Johannesburg now and where we’re staying has more of a hotel feel.
We haven’t had much of a chance to look around yet, but we’ll be looking to explore a bit more over the next couple of days.
In addition to all of our training sessions and the game against SuperSport, we’ve got some more community clinics to do, an interactive lions tour and a trip to Soweto coming up.
We are around 30 minutes north of the city centre and the hotel is on a compound next to a casino and a shopping mall, which are only a five-minute shuttle away.
I think some of the boys will be trying their luck in the casino if we get some free time before we start preparing for Wednesday’s final game.
Personal
My kids have reminded me about their souvenir lists again and I’ve told them that I haven’t had a chance to venture out in between the community visits, training and the games.
I’m cutting it fine and I’m really under a bit of pressure now.
When the boys are all in the casino on the blackjack table, I’ll be in the mall looking for shark’s teeth or something!
There are all kinds of things on the lists and I don’t really know how I’m going to find any of them.
In terms of the living arrangements, things are blossoming with me and my room-mate Steven McGarry.
We’ve been on Twitter giving our old room-mates, Dean Heffernan and Billy Mehmet, a bit of stick because we’ve got it down to a fine art.
But looking at what he’s decided to wear to the mall today, I think I might have to make a fashion intervention and take him on a clothes shopping expedition!
Perth Glory’s 2013 South Africa tour proudly sponsored by Kaboko Mining, Live2Learn and Europcar
Click here to Book Accommodation in Cradock, Graaf Reinett, Hofmeyer or surrounds.
Article source: http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/a/-/soccer/18229013/glory-on-safari-tour-diary/