CTV> Collingwood holds a training session and runs a clinic at Rosebud Olympic Park

CTV> Watch the team hold a recovery beach session in Sorrento during the Telstra AFL Community Camp

Collingwood’s visit to the Mornington Peninsula area during the Telstra AFL Community Camp involved a few Magpies returning to their roots.

Over the two-day camp, hometown hero's Ryan Cook and John McCarthy were garnering more attention than the entire playing group.

Cook grew up in the Rosebud area where he played most of his childhood football.

“It’s great to come back down here...back to the home deck,” Cook said.

“I played here in the under-16s and won a flag.”

Portsea native John McCarthy was forced to play in Sorrento due to the lack of players in his childhood town.

“It’s been good coming back home”, McCarthy told CTV on Wednesday after the team’s recovery session.

“This is where I grew up, just down there in Portsea.  I think there are about five people that actually live in Portsea.  Everyone just holiday's down there...so they don’t have a team.”

McCarthy had to play most of his childhood football in the seaside town of Sorrento.

“I just played for the Sorro’s, the mighty Sharks”.

The camp kicked off on Tuesday as the team split into two groups and were dispatched across the Rosebud area during the day.

Half of the team conducted a clinic at the Rosebud Olympic Oval, working with students from neighbouring primary schools on developing their football skills.

The rest of the players were directed to Rosebud Secondary College to join in on classroom teachings and sporting games.

In the afternoon the team returned to Olympic Park and conducted a training session in front of 700 locals.

The session included head coach Michael Malthouse taking groups of kids through many of the training drills. 

The following morning the team held a weights and recovery session at the Sorrento Yacht Club before heading back to Melbourne.

Photo gallery from the Telstra AFL Community Camp



Hometown hero Ryan Cook addresses primary school students on the Rosebud Olympic Oval.




This was a dream experience for many of the students in attendance.




Chris Dawes and Jaxson Barham work with the students on their reaction skills.




Leon Davis took on Ben Johnson in a tug-of-war contest at Rosebud Secondary College.




Paul Medhurst, Dale Thomas and Dane Swan had to field some tough questions during a classroom Q&A.




Shannon Cox taught the students how to work together to accomplish a goal.




Tarkyn Lockyer was confronted with over 700 local supporters when he ran out onto Rosebud Olympic Park for a training session.




Head coach Michael Malthouse took the local kids through a few of the training drills with the players.




Malthouse hopes the kids understand the saying, "Age before beauty".




A young Alan Didak fan takes time to appreciate the club's premiership history.




A family of locals look on as the team trains on Rosebud Olympic Park.




Club president Eddie McGuire took some time to sign autographs and take photos with the locals.  Profits raised from the merchandise tent were donated to the bushfire relief fund.




A young Magpie supporter tries to convert her skeptical friend.




The session concluded with the supporters meeting their football heroes in an intimate setting.