EVERY year I always look forward to getting the chance to get down to Tasmania with the boys.

We always play a handful of games in the Apple Isle as well as our community camps, which really give us a chance to bond with our Tasmanian supporters.

We at Hawthorn do our community camps a little different to most clubs in that we split up in little groups to cover as much of the state as possible.

At the moment I’m in Hobart with Josh Gibson, Brent Guerra, Shane Savage and Wayde Skipper and we’re having a great time. There’s another small group of players on the other side of town and we’ve also got boys in Launceston and Burnie at the moment.

Tasmania’s got a bit of an unfair reputation for being a bit cold but you couldn’t ask for any better weather at the moment. Yesterday was 27 degrees and not a cloud in the sky - perfect for a day out with the local community.

We got here on Tuesday morning and ran a clinic with a whole bunch of kids. Then last night we had a fundraiser to help out a few of the clubs in this neck of the woods. The people down here are so passionate about their footy.

We’re looking at another clinic today (Wednesday) and if we can, we’ll see if we can get together a game of cricket with the locals in Brighton before a light training run at North Hobart oval.

I’ve been at the club for four years now and I’ve really come to love Tasmania. The weather is always good and the people are so friendly and have really embraced the club. We love coming down here and getting around to the towns.

Apart from everything else, it’s good to spend some time with the boys and really get away from Melbourne. We don’t get a lot of time off during the year and to have some time off and just get around the communities is great.