This past week was surely a physical and psychological examination of the squad as first heat, then humidity, tested their limits. As the pre-season takes them ever closer to the first kick-off of the year, was it possible to demonstrate…
Eels Pre-Season Training – January 22: BA Fires Up
The heat was down a notch but sauna-like conditions greeted the squad for the early field session today. Arriving just after 8:30am, I caught the end of the first player group and the entire second group. The drills appeared to…
Eels Pre-Season Training – Taka Scorches The Field (January 21, 2016)
In conditions which could not have been measured by the old WSC Players’ Comfort Meter, the Parramatta players took to the fields for two skills and conditioning sessions. With a small gathering of interested spectators looking on, including TCT members,…
Eels Pre-Season Training – January 19, 2016
I’m going to begin my report today with an apology. I spent far too much time talking today, and not nearly enough time watching the blokes go through their paces. My observations will therefore be brief and probably not as…
Eels Pre-season Training – Week 2 Overview and Opinion
As we moved into the second week of the new year, my expectations from Week 1 came into focus. I’ve been chomping at the bit to get a glimpse of the attacking combinations forming at the club and I finished…
Eels Pre-Season Training – The Team Heats Up (January 14, 2016)
Sweltering conditions again greeted the Parramatta squad as the team assembled at Old Saleyards for an early morning field session. Despite the oppressive heat, the players tackled their work in tremendous spirit. Conditioning and Skills The conditioning involved sets of…
Eels Pre-season Training – Combinations Forming (January 12, 2016)
With no respite from yesterday’s heat, the full squad engaged in a field session that focussed on combinations. Today’s observed conditioning work (apart from the blokes working hard on the sideline) basically encompassed a series of warm up and leg…
Eels Pre-season Training – Semi’s Back (January 11, 2016)
With the Mercury pushing towards 40 degrees, the Parramatta squad took to the training paddock for an energy sapping 2 hour field session. Importantly, today’s training featured the return of Semi Radradra after his extended Christmas leave, in addition to…
Eels Pre-season Training – Week 1 Overview and Opinion
Over these first three weeks of 2016 training, I will attempt to cover as much of the field work as I can. My aim will be to provide a description of the type of preparation that the team is undertaking…
Eels Pre-season Training – Gaining Momentum (January 7, 2016)
Under brighter skies, the Eels continued their first week of training for the year with an extended field session at the Saleyards Complex. In a session commencing at around 11:30 and lasting nearly three hours, there was much to report.…