Hard work reaps rewards for Northern Heat

A summer of doing the tough slog while no-one was watching has paid dividends for the players in the Northern Heat squads based on testing results achieved in Saturday’s first session of 2022.

The two squads were put through their paces with a 1km time trial to determine who had completed the program set for them over the summer, and the results were excellent. The vast majority of the squad achieved a marked improvement against the times recorded in early December, proving the point that hard work really does pay off.

Following testing, both squads trained on clearance work, where the focus was on breaking clear of the contest through the use of fast handballs. This approach mirrors what is expected of players at higher levels of the game, such as NAB League and VFL, with the coaching drills being shared from the Sydney Swans Academy and Southport Sharks.

Matt Anderson, Northern Heat Coaching Co-ordinator, was impressed with the efforts throughout the session. “Getting fitter doesn’t just mean that the players can run for longer, it also means that they can stay in the contest and have an influence on matches for longer,” Anderson said.

“That ability to stay focused and play a modern brand of footy will really be evident when club activities hit full swing in the next month or two. That’s when the players will really appreciate how far they’ve come and will be keener than ever to push on with their development.”

The Northern Heat squad has further training sessions on Saturday 26 February in Coffs Harbour and Saturday 19 March in Armidale, before it wraps up on Saturday 9 April with matches on the Gold Coast against Southport Sharks.