It was a toss of a coin for the biggest news to emerge from Eels training today. Was it the arrival of recent recruits or the potential dethroning of a reigning monarch? Let’s begin with the first sighting of Bailey…
Eels Preseason Training – December 6 and 8, 2021: The Movers
This training report was commenced on Monday afternoon, following the completion of the morning field session. It was before the news of Ray Stone’s move to the Dolphins was broken. I will include a brief comment on that at the…
Eels Preseason Training – December 1, 2021: Ready To Start? No, Starting Ready!
The “holiday” is over. Resplendent in their new training gear, Parra’s most experienced NRL players finally returned to their Kellyville HQ. It should go without saying that senior players don’t spend the off season with their feet up on the…
Eels Preseason Training – November 24, 2021: Igniting The Flame
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…