Michael Cheika showed he’s all about hard work this morning, sending the squad on a gruelling running session up the South Coogee Steps - and then joining in.
Although it’s early days - day three of week one – senior player Berrick Barnes praised his teammates for their early pre-season efforts.
“There was a really good attitude from the boys. No whinging, they just get on and get it done and that was really impressive,” he said.
Still recovering from the punctured lung he suffered on Wallaby duty against the Springboks at the end of last month, Barnes joined his NSW team mates for training this week and welcomed the in-at-the-deep-end approach.
“The session was tough and old school but that’s just what we need,” he said after completing the session. “And having the coaches there and participating in it was great to see.”
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Barnes also praised the efforts of his
new team mates, including the youngest of the group,
Jed Holloway (19). “They’re a good bunch of kids. The young second rower Jed did really well on the hills, they all fitted in really well.”
The team’s hard work began on Monday with medical screening, fitness testing, a skills session and a weights session. After a rest day yesterday, today’s rugby conditioning session involved 10 sets on the infamous 213 South Coogee steps, with the players recovering in between sets of five efforts. Having met at Latham Park, the team warmed up with a 2km run to the steps, completing the session before running back to Latham Park for a team skills session. After lunch the squad finished the day with a weights session.
Following a day’s recovery tomorrow, there are similar sessions planned for Friday when the squad will complete a skills session at Manly’s Keirle Park, run along Queenscliff beach and then attack the stairs from Queenscliff Surf Club up to the headland before finally running back to Keirle Park. They will follow it up with the gym session in the afternoon.