The Hunter Wildfires will watch the sun rise at Fort Scratchley, be barked at by a drill sergeant, schooled on the history of the harbour and listen to tales about some of the city's diggers while marching along the Anzac Walk.
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Then, they will hit the water and perform board rescues and do other team-building exercises on the sand before trekking to No.2 Sportsground for a three-hour cleaning session.
It's all part of the club's annual boot camp.
"We place a lot of emphasis on culture and standards, and want that to be driven by the players," Wildfires coach Scott Coleman said on Friday.
"This weekend is all about that. The players will be taken out of their comfort zones and we want to see how they respond. We start with goal and standard setting on Friday night. They will hit the streets before dawn on Saturday.
"The whole club - men, colts and women - will have a well-being meeting before we get the buckets out and clean No.2. We want to instil a bit of ownership in our home ground."
In past seasons, the Wildfires have spent weekend's in the wilderness, attended army camps and brought in tactical response personnel.
"This one is a bit lighter and shorter than previous years," Coleman said. "It is a lot closer to our trial games. I wanted players here to experience it."
The Wildfires first on-field trial is against Manly in Singleton on March 9. They kick off the Shute Shield against Randwick at home on April 6.
James Gardiner
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
