The Cumberland Throw

Eels Pre-Season Training – December 11, 2019: The Toughest Session In Recorded History*

Is it possible to compose a suitable introduction to this report?

Maybe I could have created a witty simile? Perhaps I should have referenced something topical?

I really wanted to write an opening to this post which didn’t read like the classic rugby league cliche. But honestly, if I’m going to try to describe the toughest pre-season field session I’ve ever witnessed, I have to call it exactly that.

http://www.starrpartners.com.au/office/starr-partners-narellanAs the session began, we were given the tip that something special was in store for the squad. It’s also been reported that the players had some warning that it was going to be next level. Ultimately, to put some perspective on the session, I was probably uttering as many expletives as the players – and I was only watching from the sideline!

Without question, some players would have learnt something about themselves today.

Here’s how your Parramatta Eels pushed the tank gauge beyond empty this afternoon.

 

Can You Feel It?

Oregon

After what seemed like an extended warm up, the players began what I thought would be the major component of their conditioning. This involved running multiple  sets of short distances for a period of around 4 minutes, with short periods of rest in between. The more educated sports science readers might offer whether this is technically interval training.

Regardless, I was wrong about how significant this would be in the context of the physical demands of the day.

What caught my attention during this time was the talk. There was plenty of it, and some voices urging others were unexpected – Marata, Oregon and Stoney were amongst the more prominent.


Run, Malcolm, Run!

Not so much a sub-heading as a play list!

Running sets of 800, 600, 400 and 200 metres is not uncommon in footy training. Completing Malcolms (I’m not sure that this moniker is being used by the staff this year) is a tremendous form of rugby league specific conditioning.

Go Fish!

If you complete sets of each, one after the other, with minimal rest periods, then repeat and repeat and repeat (I won’t list how many repeats there were, but at some point my surprised expletives started kicking in), there is no respite and nowhere to hide. 

In fact, players that fell behind were still running when the main part of the group got a short rest. Their fatigue was compounded. It was tough to watch the squad go through this extended conditioning – even those who were excelling looked to be feeling the burn.

The running wasn’t a slow jog. The leaders looked to be hitting close to three-quarter pace – on every run! I’d estimate that the intensive conditioning work lasted for well over 60 minutes in what was close to two and a half hours on the field.

Rather than mentioning any players who struggled, I’d prefer to celebrate the outstanding performers.

Dylbags and Davies

Rhys Davies continued to shine in the conditioning stakes, and he was closely followed by Kyle Schneider. Davies led a number of runs home, though this took a bit out of him in a couple of the middle sets of runs. Schneider didn’t finish outside of the top 3 in any run.

Will Smith, Ethan Parry, Mitch Moses and Jaeman Salmon we’re also consistent performers, but the big blokes deserve some star billing. Daniel Alvaro was a top five finisher in virtually every run. The bloke looks ripped. Young guns Stefano and Oregon were not far behind Polar and seemed to be finishing stronger with every run.

Time For Some Footy

Under fatigue, the squad first drilled their kick chase. This involved the last two carries in a set followed by the kick and chase. The first up tackle and second carry tackle would then be completed before the set would “re-boot”.

Look out! RCG has you in his sights.

The highlight was once again a big hit from RCG. The target this time was Ethan Parry. Perhaps Junior has passed the Parry smashing baton to Reg this year. In all seriousness, Parry kept running hard into Junior with every carry last preseason, and those hits from Junior helped to prepare Ethan for NRL.

Relentless defence, or perhaps it was relentless attack, was next on the footy menu. With one team being given all of the possession in the quarter, the other was forced to defend for extended periods. The talk was the best of the day, and some collisions were surprisingly ferocious. This was impressive, considering how the squad had to be aching badly from the conditioning work.

Just when it looked like the session had concluded, the players were brought together for contact drills. By the time the last of the extras had been completed, the clock had registered about two and a half hours of field time.

I could quote how many kilometres had been recorded by the GPS, but even that figure would underplay the relentless nature of today’s session.

It was truly the toughest training I’ve ever witnessed.

 

Tuesday

A quick mention of yesterday’s session is necessary as it marked the start of Joey John’s second week with the club. I was fortunate enough to catch his specialist coaching during the morning and it reinforced my belief that his input will add a new dimension to the Eels play this coming season.

For obvious reasons I won’t go into specifics, but watching him cover the technicalities of passing, catching, footwork and kicking is eye-opening. Some of the pass types are surprisingly difficult to execute consistently well, and the message is delivered that the players have a responsibility for practising in their own time to ensure that it becomes second nature.

Watching the different ways that the defence could be engaged by a playmaker’s movements and actions, you realise that a good half will sell what he won’t do just as well as communicating to his team what he will do.

 

A Final Word

I will be unable to attend further sessions this week due to other commitments. Maybe I need a break after watching today’s torture.

Hopefully I can provide some feedback via a couple of reliable TCT associates.

Eels forever!

Sixties

 

* No empirical evidence available to support this headline.

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18 thoughts on “Eels Pre-Season Training – December 11, 2019: The Toughest Session In Recorded History*

    1. sixties

      I know that the air quality was listed as unhealthy today, but damn it felt a lot cooler and clearer today than yesterday. It’s got to be tough for all people who work outside.

  1. Milo

    Wow a superb read mate.
    Was Elkin running this session mainly with BA watching?
    I think the kick chase part is crucial as starting a set defensively is as important as the kick preceding. I often used to get frustrated with Parra in terms of their set up plays before a kick as at times in yrs gone by we would be dominated at times on the play before the kick.
    Good to see them rehearsing such plays.
    Sixties how is Jun Paulo looking? As we need him to have another big yr with RCG, Brown and Oregan (when he is in the 17).
    Thanks for a great read.

    1. sixties

      Elkin and Inkster appeared to be running the conditioning with the coaches keeping the players under the microscope.
      Junior looks the same sized unit as last year.

  2. Colin Hussey

    One thing for certain is that I would never make a RL player, even if my age was in the 20’s and I was a lot fitter back then, owing to my job at the time.

    For all that you have reported sixties, the aspects of what is left out are the most impressive aspect for me, along with watching Joey working with his little team, I am quite certain that that what he can pass on to those he has charge of will be creating players much better than this season just gone, I would also tend to think we have very worthy replacements to finally lift the shadow of Sterlo in the camp.

    Looking at the general fitness of players in pics, I can’t see any flab on them, AD to me looks a very fit player going by his physique but being a builder in Townsville he would be conditioned to the heat, and probably is thankful that it does not have the NQ humidity along with the temperature.

    Its a long way off until the first trial at end of February, and for me it cannot come soon enough, but am pretty sure that the players will be looking for the break, when do the last players resume training? I would think next week unless they have all returned

    Thanks for a great report and shows even eye witnesses need a break from the exhaustion of even watching these training sessions.

    1. sixties

      Cheers Colin. I think you’re switched on to the fact that I deliberately leave out some content.
      All should be on deck next week.

      1. Colin Hussey

        I have no doubt mate that there would be others there watching the training that are related to other clubs even the media, each have their assignments to cover, but I have a suspicion that they may not take it all in, at the same time some would have enough nouse for it anyway.

        What you leave out obviously needs just that, but in many ways makes it more enjoyable to try and guess the missing bits

        I look forward to whoever is able to cover the training reports next week. Have a nice break.

        Ps can you run me through the Malcolm meaning again and what caused its introduction. I have no idea of it and why its applied, is it just an eels phrase or used elsewhere also..

        PPSs, so much for RCG being a bit tentative in his defence owing to the injury, shuts a few up methinks.

        1. sixties Post author

          I’ll be there next week Colin, just not the rest of this week. Unfortunately I have to attend a funeral. You would have seen Malcolms before.
          The Malcolms involve running, hitting the ground, running again, hitting the ground etc. Named after Malcolm Reilly who enjoyed using them in his coaching. I’ve seen other trainers use them, so I believe they are fairly common in footy under different names. I’m not sure that everyone refers to them as Malcolms. Jimenez did.

          1. Colin Hussey

            Thanks sixties, condolences for the family of the person who has passed away.

            Misread what you had posted re the reports, happens at my age, and that’s a reason I’m sticking to.

  3. Brett Allen

    Top stuff 60’s. I hope some of Joey’s future sessions are done after the conditioning sessions, so that Mitch, Dylan et al are practicing these skills under extreme fatigue. That is when a playmaker really earns his cash.

  4. Eggman

    Just wanted to say thanks for these reports, and the time and efforts to get them to us, and to reply to all our Questions and comments.The off season is hard and anything remotely Parra related fills a gap, these training reports and insights into who is making progress etc. Are amazing.Thank you.

  5. Rush

    I really look forward to your reports, sixties. I must admit that talk of “toughest preseason ever” usually induces eye rolls from me but this report has me excited. Glad to hear Alvaro is looking ripped. Hoping he can lift another level this year. He appeared too heavy this season.

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