Essendon up-and-comer Jason Ashby has described this week’s development camp as ‘honest’, praising the immediate bond of the young group.

The club’s first-to-third year players have been participating in an intensive three day development camp which concluded today.

Ashby said the club’s young players were pushed to the limits over the three days at the True Value Solar Centre, where there was a strong emphasis on physicality and team bonding.

“It was certainly intense. I didn’t expect it to be as hard as it was,” Ashby said.

“It was an honest camp and I think everyone really got the best from it. Bonding was probably the best thing that came out of it.”

Over the past two nights, the playing group have been purposely sleep deprived and this morning took part in a ‘strong-man’ competition with a commando leading the young contingent.

“We were absolutely buggered by the time the camp finished – that’s what probably got us in the end,” Ashby said.

“We’ve been sleep deprived for two days, we haven’t been eating the best food either – we’ve had a lot of spam, tuna and corn.

“This morning we were sleeping in tents in the training hall, then got woken up by the commando at 4.30am and then had to do rope challenges to begin the day.

Despite the intensive training demands, Ashby praised the young group for their ability to work together in difficult circumstances.

“The new boys have come in and really shown great leadership,” Ashby said.

“Everyone has really developed and shown different qualities that we perhaps didn’t know were there to begin with so I feel we’ve all really gained a lot from the camp this week.”

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