The weather’s warming up, the sunscreen is being generously applied, but the grimaces have replaced the smiles at Saleyards. Indeed, venture down to Eels headquarters and you’re likely to be witnessing one of the more gruelling conditioning sessions in recent years.

Welcome to pre-season training at Parramatta – 2018 style!
With a raft of NRL players currently competing in the Rugby League World Cup, it seems incongruous to be reporting on pre-season training. The extension of the season for representative players has wreaked havoc with season preparations for all teams, to the extent that  full squads are unlikely to be seen until January 2018.

This first week of training literally sees the staff outnumbering the players.

Gutho’s rehab is progressing well.

These first few torture sessions featured NRL squad regulars such as Bevan French, Tepai Moeroa, Kirisome Auva’a, George Jennings, Dane Aukafolau, Nathan Davis and Marata Niukore alongside NYC graduates Tui Afualo, Greg Leleisiuao, Ray Stone and Reed Mahoney. Clint Gutherson has also returned to training, albeit as part of an extensive rehabilitation process.

The young blokes aren’t the only new faces to be seen. The players are becoming well-acquainted with Lachlan Wilmot. The recently appointed Head of Athletic Performance is certainly making his presence felt and the Eels are heading into new territory with his expertise.

The Overview

* Conditioning

It goes without saying that conditioning is a major component of any pre-season. After day 1 testing, the squad were straight into the hill work at the Flinders Slopes of Lake Gillawarna. The steepness of the hills is a gruelling test for even the fittest of athletes, so for players coming back from a five or six week break it would have been a tough ask. The young NYC boys were no doubt quickly discovering what NRL training is all about!

Even Bevan is feeling the pain this pre-season.

Moving through the week, conditioning became a major component of the field sessions at Saleyards. The running is relentless with little respite. The kilometres are being put into the legs in a big way. It’s obviously expected, but the demands seem to be up a gear on last year.

The week was concluded on Friday with a torturous session at the Athletic fields across the road from Saleyards. A 2km run was quickly followed by set after set of timed 800m runs. The players would barely finish an 800m run before they would line up for the next circuit.

The blokes looked to be busting a gut today, though I’m reliably informed that this was only a sample of the fitness work they’ll be embarking on in this pre-season.

* Setting A Standard

I was both impressed and stunned by the fitness of the Eels coaches on Friday. During the 2km and 800m runs, Brad Arthur, Steve Murphy and Joey Grima ran with the players. Their presence both challenged and encouraged their young charges to dig deeper in their efforts.

Brad Arthur – not asking the players to do anything he wouldn’t do.

For the majority of the runs, they kept pace alongside the players. However, as they reached their final 800m sets, they opened up. In his group, BA nearly ran Bevan French down, whereas in the other group, Steve Murphy finished about 100m in front of this week’s standout trainer, Reed Mahoney. It was extraordinary to watch.

* Lachlan Wilmot

Recruiting a Head of Athletic Performance from the AFL was bound to result in a different approach to match conditioning. That’s already evident in week one of the pre-season.

However, the differences aren’t limited to purely conditioning. To my layman’s eye, there appears to be an emphasis on body positioning and technique in running. It’s my understanding that this can lessen the likelihood of particular leg and back problems – though I’d like to speak with Lachlan to clarify this.

Newly appointed Head of Athletic Performance, Lachlan Wilmot.

Another observation of Wilmot is that he appears to have a philosophy of personal excellence and team responsibility. There was a call for the players to strive for their best and provide encouragement for their team mates.

It will be interesting to observe more of the conditioning work throughout the pre-season and to then note how that changes throughout the season.

* Skills Work

From the images posted on the official website, Eels fans would have noted that ball work has taken place from Day 1 of pre-season. This isn’t always the case with every club, but to me it makes perfect sense.

In the current squad there are young players who will complete an NYC pre-season before returning to NYC. There would be little point in including such players for conditioning work alone. With access to a skills coach such as Joey Grima, in addition to the opportunity of using the footy alongside established NRL stars, it’s vital to utilise every moment available to them.

The skills work commenced on Day 1!

Furthermore, the skills sessions at Eels training promote muscle memory, something that is vital to performance as fatigue kicks in. Hand and body positioning when passing or receiving the football might seem the most basic of football skills for professional athletes, yet it’s something that requires regular drilling.

Joey Grima is literally the MacGyver of coaches. His improvisations with a range of equipment – tables, pads, poles, trampolines etc – are truly unique. I reckon we should just call him Macca from now on.

* The Standouts

Week 1 standout, Reed Mahoney.

Young rake, Reed Mahoney, is a machine. Ray Stone was not far behind and would certainly have made an impression. The aggressive back rower has also found his voice, encouraging his mates in their efforts.

Bevan French shines in his skills work and is just a class act with the football in his hands. Marata Niukore looks to have kept himself very fit during his break.

Author’s Note

Plenty has been made of who has or hasn’t returned to training. It’s been fodder for rumour or innuendo on social media sites. With the staggered return of players, there’s very little to be read into who hasn’t been seen at Saleyards. The full compliment of players not participating in the World Cup will likely return on 20th November. There will even be some players who won’t return till January.

I’ll do my best to keep you updated.

Eels forever!

Sixties

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