How does your gym session stack up against Northern Pride pre-season training

Could you cut it at pre-season training with the Northern Pride rugby league team? Check out which players are leading the way at the gym and how much weight they’re lifting.

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The term “pre-season” sends a shiver down the spine of many footballers, especially up here in the sweltering Far North, as images of gruelling physical tests and horrific drills in the blazing heat come to mind.

Ask any of the Pride players at their weekly training sessions at Barlow Park and they’ll tell you – in between sucking in the big ones – that this off-season has been one of the toughest the club has seen.

After falling short to Easts Tigers in last year’s semi-final, the Pride are eager to go two better in 2019, which would see them claim their third Intrust Super Cup premiership, after wins in 2010 and 2014.

Northern Pride's first day of preseason training at Your Fitness gym on Gatton Street. Tom Hancock. PICTURE: STEWART MCLEAN

If pre-season numbers are anything to go by, the Pride are poised to feature at the pointy end of the season. Players, old and new, have been chalking up strong numbers in this off-season’s strength and fitness tests, including a spate of player personal bests and even a new club record in the 1.2km shuttle run.

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Pride strength and conditioning coach Scott Callaghan said it was good to see improvements across the board as the workload increases.

“We’ll go back to a lot more football-orientated and game-related training now,” he said.

“Whereas before the break it was all about getting some running done, now we’re starting to get up and down off the ground a lot more and starting to put it back into football.

“We’re mixing it up and putting the boys under the pump – getting them to do the skills and game-related drills under fatigue.”

Northern Pride's first day of preseason training at Your Fitness gym on Gatton Street. Connor Jones. PICTURE: STEWART MCLEAN

At a training session last week, utility Connor Jones broke the club’s 1.2km shuttle run record – a record previously held by Jones himself.

The Emerald junior clocked a 4.42 mins in his first run of the preseason back in November, before coming out after the Christmas break to run a blistering 4.32 mins.

Jones is no stranger to the record books – as an under-20s player in 2016, he broke the Canterbury Bulldogs 400m club record, bettering the record time set by Jonathan Thurston more than a decade prior.

Jones has racked up 39 games for the Pride, mostly coming off the bench, but the 26-year-old has been tipped to nab the club’s starting hooker role this year.

He’s doing everything in his power to force the hand of head coach Ty Williams.

Northern Pride's first day of preseason training at Your Fitness gym on Gatton Street. Bradley Stephen. PICTURE: STEWART MCLEAN

“I’ve just been doing my best and trying my hardest at every training session,” he said.

“It’s nice to achieve (the record) and it’s obviously going to help me with my game, but at the end of the day, I just want to be playing my best rugby league for the Pride – to be helping them to win games and play finals football.”

Callaghan, who identified Jones as one player to watch at the end of the 2018 season, said he had been having a big off-season on a personal level.

“He loves it,” Callaghan said.

“He’s been working harder and harder and he’s better again this year.”

Jones said a “really positive vibe” had been a feature of summer training sessions.

“We’re all looking forward to playing our trial games in a couple of weeks and then getting ready for round one against Redcliffe,” he said.

However, a big challenge will be getting the tough preseason work to translate on to the field in the regular season.

Northern Pride coach Ty Williams. PICTURE: JUSTIN BRIERTY

PRIDE PERFORMERS

■ Squat (3 reps)

Forwards

Dominic Biondi 190kg (160kg)

Will Bugden 180kg (150kg)

David Murphy 170kg (150kg)

Halves/backs

Connor Jones 180kg (150kg)

Bradley Stephen 170kg (150kg)

Matt Musumeci 170kg

■ Dead lift (3 reps)

Forwards

Will Bugden 220kg (200kg)

David Murphy 190kg (160kg)

Dominic Biondi 210kg (170kg)

Halves/backs

Matt Musumeci 210kg

Connor Jones 200kg

Bradley Stephen 200kg

■ Bench Press (3 reps)

Forwards

David Murphy 150kg (135kg)

Tom Hancock 140kg (120kg)

Aidan Day 135kg (115kg)

Halves/backs

Matt Musumeci 120kg

Bradley Stephen 120kg

Jack Murphy 120kg

■ 1.2km Shuttle

Forwards

Dave Murphy 4.52 mins

Dom Biondi 5.02 mins

Will Bugden 5.07 mins

Halves/backs

Connor Jones 4.32 mins

Matt Musumeci 4.50 mins

Shawn Bowen 4.57 mins

Originally published as How does your gym session stack up against Northern Pride pre-season training