League coach adapts training to focus on speed, ‘different’ game

Speed sessions will dominate the Northern Pride’s training regimen, as coach Ty Williams anticipates the NRL’s new six-again rule to have a profound impact on the way the game is played at all levels.

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Speed sessions will dominate the Northern Pride’s training regimen, as coach Ty Williams anticipates the NRL’s new six-again rule to have a profound impact on the way the game is played at all levels.

Pride players and coaching staff came together for their first group training sessions in almost four months at West Barlow Park on Tuesday night.

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Pride coach Ty Williams has a laugh during the pre-season trial match between the Northern Pride and the Cairns Foley Shield side, held at Petersen Park, Edmonton. PICTURE: BRENDAN RADKE

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With all contact training still banned under Stage 2 of Queensland’s COVID-19 recovery plan, Williams said there would be a focus on speed specific training.

“It gives me a good chance as a coach, and also the guys as players, to have a look at the way the NRL has developed and how different the game is (since COVID-19),” he said.

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“Our training component will be focused a fair bit on that and just making sure we make the right adjustments because I’ve got a feeling that even if they (the QRL) don’t go to the new rules the NRL has, it’s going to be very similar, so we don’t want to miss the jump.”

He said, after watching the NRL following the implementation of the new six-again rule, and knowing the strengths of his players, the Pride would be a team to embrace a faster and more fluent flow of the game.

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Pride hooker Chris Ostwald in a pre-season trial match between the Northern Pride and the PNG Hunters, held at Barlow Park, Cairns. PICTURE: STEWART McLEAN

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“We’ve got naturally gifted speed and with someone like Chris Ostwald around the ruck, who asks questions all the time, I’m very excited about it,” he said.

“I played in an era when you played up-tempo footy, when you had (Matty) Bowen, (Johnathan) Thurston and (Aaron) Payne through the middle, and now the game’s going back to that.”

Originally published as League coach adapts training to focus on speed, ‘different’ game