Cornes: Why January is time to get serious in footy

Pre-season training may have changed over the years but the unique humour and the fellowship of the locker room is what old footballers miss, writes Graham Cornes.

Old footballers often complain that they were born too early. “How good do these young fellas of today have it?”

It’s a statement rather than a question but who wouldn’t want to be an elite footballer in the 21st century? If they are smart, the salary alone will set them up for life.

The average wage is now around the $400,000 mark, with the best players in each team earning over a million dollars a year.

However, it’s never about the money.

The money comes as a by-product of talent, mindset and preparation. Preparation! At no time of the year is preparation more important than in January.

Both our AFL teams were back in action this week after a Christmas break. They get nearly three months off but the preparation really heats up in January and February.

At no time of the year is preparation more important than in January. Picture: Keryn Stevens

It’s always a good time when the boys get back together, but it’s tempered by the serious thought that there is so little time left before the real footy starts.

They’ve had all that time off but most, if not all, of them have had individual programmes that have been set and monitored by their high-performance gurus. There is nowhere to hide.

GPS monitors tell the tale of just how much work has been done. And they are awake to all the tricks.

There is no point fixing it to the dog’s collar which some wags have tried in the past. The really dedicated footballers who are serious about their career and their preparation have sought out elite training bases and mentors overseas.

However, there is something to be said for the good old days. The season didn’t start until April.

Pre-season training didn’t get under way until the end of January, sometimes even February.

That’s why so many footballers could still play first-class cricket. Barrie Robran, Craig Bradley, John Halbert, and Lindsay Head all played Sheffield Shield cricket. Eric Freeman and Neil Hawke were even able to play Test cricket.

Glenelg training in 1988. Picture: Graham Tidy

It cannot be done these days. They best they can hope for is a bit of social cricket or cameo appearances for their old junior clubs, although back in 2019 a group of Port footballers made the Division 3 T20 grand final playing for Grange. But football comes first.

Some players are supremely committed. The off-season is not just a time for rest and recuperation but it’s also a time to improve.

Travis Boak comes to mind. His sessions at the Red Bull facilities in Santa Monica and Santa Cruz in California have been the secret to his longevity in the sport.

Additionally, they have inspired younger team-mates to emulate his off-season dedication as they accompany him.

There is much excitement down at Alberton. The players move into the new indoor facility and gymnasium tomorrow. While the Crows, who have battled obstacle after obstacle, are yet to turn a sod at Thebarton, Port Adelaide has quietly progressed its new development.

However, it all comes back to football.

I asked Chad Cornes this week what is the difference between current pre-season training and the pre-season sessions that he endured when he was playing.

“The sessions before Christmas were all about running”, he said. “But now we have the balls out from the first session. And the running is done as part of the drills with the balls. It’s much harder and more competitive high-speed running, all reviewed with the GPS by the high-performance staff.”

It’s true that football has changed dramatically in the past decade but it was surprising that in his era, which spanned between 1998 and the first 13 years of the decade, that the balls didn’t come out earlier.

Having no balls at training is reminiscent of summer training in the old days when old-school coaches brutalised their players with demanding drills and no consideration for their health. Some players relished it, others endured it.

Sadly, others, it broke.

Football coach Neil Kerley at Glenelg training in 1969. Picture: Supplied.

Neil Kerley’s first session at Glenelg has passed into football folklore. On a hot summer’s evening when a huge group of aspiring league footballers had assembled, he ran them into the ground.

When only half the number turned up at the next session, he characteristically spat on his hands, rubbed his palms together and said: “Right! Now we’ve sorted the wheat from the chaff, let’s get on with the serious stuff.”

It’s a wonder that more players weren’t afflicted with heat stroke or heat exhaustion in those days.

When Kerley’s reign at Glenelg came to its end, Carlton and VFL legend, John Nicholls, was appointed coach.

We weren’t allowed to have water during the sessions. The rationale of the time was that it sat in your stomach and caused cramping. Of course, the opposite is true. Pre-hydration and taking fluids throughout the contest are vital to athletic outcome.

At West Lakes they were back in action this week as well.

Optimism is high and there is an expectation that they must make the eight. While Port Adelaide has recruited older, more experienced players to the club, the Crows expect improvement to come from within its young list – and Dan Curtain. No pressure.

The young Western Australian, first round draftee, comes with high expectations – both his and the club’s.

He hopes to play in the first round and with the injury to Nick Murray and the departure of Tom Doedee, there is a spot for him in defence.

There are only a couple of pre-season matches, barely enough to stake his claim, but Max Michalanney showed last year that first-year draftees can take the leap and can make a difference.

Interestingly, Elliot Himmelberg has also been working with the defenders.

Josh Rachelle has been a standout. Almost as if he has realised that talent and potential is not enough, he has worked hard, checking in regularly with the high-performance staff.

Luke Pedlar too, has been intent to match-proof his injury-prone body. And for those who are predicting his inevitable decline, veteran Taylor Walker shows no sign of slowing down.

At Alberton, the newcomers are all established players. Ruckmen Ivan Soldo and Jordon Sweet and defenders Esava Ratugolea and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher will all have the opportunity to play in round one.

If Port Adelaide had weaknesses last season it was in the ruck where Scott Lycett battled injury, and in defence when the team was often under-sized.

They tried to recruit Ratugolea last season but Geelong played hardball.

However, he arrives this season and will play in defence where his size and sure hands will surely make a difference.

He has already impressed at Alberton with his respectful manner and personality - surely a product of his Fijian heritage. He has made a big impact.

Of the regular players, Sam Powell-Pepper “is flying” as are Zak Butters and Jason Horne-Francis. And fan-favourite Francis Evans seems determined to claim a regular position in the Power’s forward line.

Pre-season can be tough. Old footballers don’t miss the pain but the boys are back together being boys.

There are no games, so the emotions, the unique humour and the fellowship of the locker room aren’t impacted by results. That’s what we miss. In time the ups and downs of competition will come. We’ll miss that too.