The excited screeches of kids splashing in the pool; high pitched giggles, parents dragging toddlers through the water in their first early experiences of the Australian life-style.

As the Gold Coast finally lived up to its part of the Queensland claim to being the ‘Sunshine State’, the West Coast Eagles players with families at the Royal Pines Resort hub made the most of a largely sunny day.

The appearance of the sun coincided with a day off for the players and the opportunity was timely. A chance for Tim Kelly, Liam Ryan and Tom Hickey to focus on family, diverting their attention momentarily away from footy.

It’s impossible to give football 100 per cent attention 100 per cent of the time. Life is about balance and you could sense the importance of that as the Kelly family frolicked in the pool.

Others took the opportunity to take a stroll down to the supermarket for some essential supplies and some took a drive – they are able to use a club rental car to go out in pairs – to peruse conditions at Snapper Rocks, an iconic Aussie surf break.

Some came back as excited as a young footy fan might have been to run into Nic Naitanui or Josh Kennedy in the street. And Nic was one of those who was chuffed to see a couple of greats on the water.

Regulars at Snappers are Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson. Current tour pro Wade Carmichael was also performing a few cut-backs (says he trying to sound like he knows something about catching a wave).       

Truth be known, any knowledge or utterance vaguely resembling the surfing vernacular, is born from conversations with my son. My time in the surf was more about trying to manage the inevitable dismount with some degree of perceived control and being so grateful that the leg rope kept me within range of the plank I was attempting to steer.

Coincidentally Fanning and Parkinson made my son’s experience as a teen on a family holiday to this part of the world about 15 years ago. Hope they haven’t been in lock-down all that time, though with their passion, Surfer’s Paradise would be exactly that to them.

It’s difficult to understand why the keen surfers in the Eagles travel party would put themselves through the torment of watching that perfect break roll so consistently to shore and ridden with such choreographed precision as to make it look so effortless.

But I suppose that’s no more torturous than having a meal over-looking the ninth hole.  

The mental break, whether it be a splash in the pool, a stroll to the supermarket or a short trip to Surfer’s, is more important than the excursion itself.

Tomorrow football will definitely be front of mind. It’s the purpose of being here.

It will be about the captain’s run, a closed session at Metricon Stadium; if it is possible to have such a thing at the home ground of our Gold Coast opponents on Saturday night.

That hit-out is restricted to the 22 players selected, as well as the four emergencies.

It seems a longer lead time than normal. And while it does sound like the bleeding obvious given it has been three months between rounds one and two, but this build-up has inordinately longer.

Now, though, the return to battle is within reach; it’s just a matter of tugging on the leg rope and bringing bouncedown to us.