What value do you place on a first grade debut? There’s unquestionably lessons learned on the field, but what about the mindset? Last week, I gave a special mention to Sam Loizou for some standout moments in the defensive drills.…
Eels Pre-Season Training – March 8, 2021: The Report Card
Another pre-season has come and gone. Not a typical one, mind you, but no NRL club has been an island in this regard. COVID didn’t just wreak havoc with last season, because the late conclusion resulted in minimal time on…
Eels Pre-Season Training – February 15 & 17, 2021: Ready To Play Edition
The pointy end of the preseason is now upon us. When we get to trial matches, training tends to shift into premiership rounds match mode. What does that mean? The collisions in the opposed work ease up a bit…
Eels Pre-Season Training – February 11, 2021: Sivo Finds A New Tedesco
Move over James Tedesco. In one of the more spectacular moments I’ve witnessed at Eels training, powerhouse winger Maika Sivo decided to re-enact his 2020 collision with the Roosters superstar fullback during this morning’s opposed session. And unfortunately for Jordan…
Eels Pre-Season Training – February 9, 2021: Rated AA For Action Aplenty
How close are we to some serious footy? Here’s the quick rundown: * Thursday, February 18 – the players with 12 NRL games or less in 2020 are eligible to play in the Eels vs Dragons trial at Kogarah *…
Eels Pre-Season Training – February 5, 2021: It’s A Full Dress Rehearsal And Oregon Owns It!
A full squad of referees. One team in the Blue and Gold, the other in the white alternate jersey. There’ll be no contrived play simulations. No handing the ball back to one team because the coach reckons the other team…
Eels Pre-Season Training – February 3, 2021: “The Papa, Carty, Moses, Haze, JA, et al Highlights Session”
Compiling these training reports over an entire preseason has its challenging days. It is, after all, a long period of time to cover a similar activity – getting fit and preparing for a football season. And there’s a philosophy to…
Eels Pre-Season Training – February 1, 2021: Fergo You Freak!
Spoiler alert. If you’re not a Blake Ferguson fan, this report is not for you. The effusive praise to follow will leave you questioning my objectivity. That’s fair enough. It is, after all, just training. Nonetheless, I reckon I’m a…
Eels Pre-Season Training – January 29, 2021: Friday Footy Palooza
What would you do if it was the back half of the preseason, your squad was very fit, and you wanted to keep them physically and mentally fresh? I reckon the solution was a session henceforth referred to as “Friday…
Eels Pre-Season Training – January 26 & 27, 2021: Junior And Marata On The Rampage
Is there anything in rugby league more beautiful than watching the big blokes ripping it up on the footy field? Though the aforementioned question is, in my mind, rhetorical, I’d have no shortage of punters echoing my sentiments based…