John Malligan was the driving force behind the project and with help from former Richmond defender and now Ararat senior coach Scott Turner, the boys were treated to a morning at Punt Road.

The boys watched the Tigers train and were able to interact with the players, before being taken on a guided tour of the club by Dale Weightman, a former premiership player and the Richmond skills coach.

Weightman showed the players into the Richmond training rooms and spoke to them about the importance of personal fitness, skills, diet and dedication.

After this exciting morning the boys then headed to Galactic Circus at Crown Casino and the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre to fill in the remainder of the day.

It was a great initiative by John Malligan and the club with the senior players conducting a raffle to help towards the cost of the train tickets, the remainder being paid for by the club.

It was a great experience for the players and the work of John Malligan and Donna Wood, who accompanied the players to Melbourne and made the event possible, is appreciated.

The only challenge now is to stop the under 14s talking about it!