Tigers help out Pioneers

RICHMOND teammates Dustin Martin and Daniel Connors will be special guest speakers at next week’s Bendigo Bank Pioneers Football Club development camp.A group of 40 young players will be at Golden Square’s Country Vet Oval next Thursday when the camp kicks off at 10am.Drafted from the Pioneers, Martin and Connors will talk about the transition from club level to TAC Cup and to AFL.A first-year player at the Tigers, Martin played 21 matches and was fourth in Richmond’s best and fairest award for the Jack Dyer Medal.The young gun from Castlemaine was the CVGT Rising Star award winner in the Bendigo Football League in the 2008 season.From Echuca, Connors was drafted to Richmond in 2006 and has played 24 matches.He fought back from a club-imposed suspension earlier in the season to regularly figure among Richmond’s best in the 2010 campaign.Bendigo Pioneers coach Mark Ellis and Dustin Martin will discuss the transition from playing at club level to the AFL Victoria TAC Cup under-18s competition.There will be sessions on strength and conditioning, recovery-rehab, and diet, run by fitness coach Luke Stratford.A goal setting session will be led by Ellis, and Luke Monaghan, coach of the Pioneers’ under-15 and under-16 teams.Importance of time management and education will be discussed by Brendan Ryan.A game plan and warm-up session will be led by Monaghan and Stratford.A match of 15-minute halves will be played.