Gold Coast SUNS captain, Gary Ablett has declared the clubs camp in Flagstaff Arizona a huge success.

Ablett and his teammates returned to training on Monday, and following the clubs 2km time trial at Griffith Uni, it was evident that the trip was already paying dividends.

“The boys ran really well,” Ablett said.

“A lot of our younger players just keep getting better and better, their bodies are maturing and its showing in their testing results.”

Ablett was adamant that despite the improvement, his young side still had a lot of work ahead of them.

“The camp was just the beginning; we are doing everything possible to be able to compete fiercely at the highest level.

“We improved during last season and want to make up even more ground throughout the off season.”

The Gold Coast SUNS skipper said the camp also resulted in a number of immeasurable advantages.

“Spending 16 days together has really helped the group bond and I think the boys have a greater understanding on what is required at the highest level.”

“There is still so much for the team to learn and things such as the camp are designed to try and fast track the team, allowing us to successfully compete at the highest level, and that’s what our fans are after.”

Ablett told goldcoastfc.com.au that the team pushed the limits while in Arizona.

“To the boy’s credit they worked really hard, it didn’t matter if it was during skills or weights or while we were mountain biking and hiking, everyone worked that hard under grueling circumstances.

“It was such a different environment, not just being at altitude, but the weather conditions, they were really extreme to what we are used to on the Gold Coast.”

“A number of the players took time getting used to the conditions, guys suffered headaches for two and three days it’s simply a side affect of being at the altitude.

The GC SUNS return for a three and a half week training block before entering the Christmas/New Year break.