The Eels final field session for 2023 has been completed, and my insanity has been confirmed. Imagine choosing to stand in the wind and rain to watch a training run! At least I wasn’t on my own. Yes, the…
Eels Pre-Season Training – December 12 To 16, 2022: King Gutho Still Wears The Crown
Just when you think that his domination of Eels conditioning must surely be approaching the end, Clint Gutherson never fails to dispatch an emphatic reminder that it will take an extraordinary human to out-perform him on the training track. So…
Eels Pre-Season Training – January 31, 2022: A Selection Dilemma
A selection headache is looming for Parramatta Eels coach Brad Arthur. Emerging half Jake Arthur, the son of the coach, is currently one of the stars of this preseason. Make no mistake, in terms of his consistency and his recent…
Eels Pre-Season Training – January 28, 2022: Dylan Brown
Picture this. It’s a deep kick off, the ball is passed to a charging RCG, and the big man puts the pedal to the metal as he collides with four defenders. Boom! They didn’t miss him, nor did he allow…
Eels Pre-Season Training – January 24 & 26, 2022: A Lift In Intensity
After the Monday and Wednesday field sessions, I’m already prepared to call this week the most intense of the current preseason. The footy component has increased without diminishing the conditioning work. In fact, players such as Mitch Moses and Isaiah…
Eels Pre-Season Training – January 21, 2022: Room For Improvement
Friday is probably my favourite training day. The players throw on the jerseys and NRL refs are often in attendance. That’s because the end of the week usually means a full contact opposed session. Readers will probably note the absence…
Eels Pre-Season Training – January 12, 2022: Pushing The Barriers Of Fatigue
Every year, there’s a point reached in the preseason when the training hits a demanding new level. If today wasn’t that moment, it was definitely the prelude. In a session lasting over two hours, Trent Elkin administered his own version…
Eels Pre-Season Training – January 13, 2020: The Battle Heats Up!
Mick Cronin’s toe-poke! Just when you thought you could lock in the Eels bench spots for their Top 17, the action heated up at this morning’s training. In what was, for me, an unexpected opposed session, Stefano Utoikamanu and Kane…
Eels Pre-Season Training – December 9, 2019: The Gang’s (Almost) All Here
That’s more like It! The return of Junior Paulo, Kane Evans, Mitch Moses, Brad Takairangi and Nathan Brown meant that the squad was close to full strength today. With only Michael Jennings and Clint Gutherson yet to return to the…
Eels Pre-Season Training – December 4, 2019: Nowhere To Hide
If you’re in a full time NRL squad and looking to make an impression during a preseason, how do you put your name in lights? You compete. You compete harder than a reality show contestant fighting for screen time. And…