Jillaroos well ahead of World Cup preparation after completing gruelling month-long training program
THE Jillaroos will enter camp ahead of the World Cup on Monday but coach Brad Donald knows his squad is already well prepared for world domination.
Women's sport
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THE Jillaroos have just completed their toughest training program yet in a bid to boost their chances of World Cup domination - and they have done so without the comforts of a team camp.
The Australian women’s rugby league team will converge on the Gold Coast to officially kick off preparations for the tournament, which begins on November 16.
But the hard work for coach Brad Donald’s 24-woman squad actually started one month ago, when he announced his line-up.
Each player was sent a four-week training program to ensure they were at their fittest and strongest before entering camp.
While the women’s game is growing in stature, the players are still not paid professionals and have had to rely on self-motivation to get through the gruelling sessions, done in their own time.
The majority of Donald’s squad have juggled the testing program with a combination of work, study or motherhood duties.
They have also done the program mostly without the face-to-face support of their teammates and coaches, with the players spread from Mackay to Wollongong to Katherine in the Northern Territory.
But according to Donald, each one has met their standards.
For World Cup first-timer Vanessa Foliaki, it has been the hardest training she has ever had to endure.
“The last four weeks have been pretty tough, both physically and mentally,” she said.
“We’re training six days a week and having just one day off. It’s been hard on the body and mentally you’re trying to keep motivated.
“We have never trained so hard before but I know going into camp we’ll be prepared for the World Cup ... it will make all the training worthwhile.”
The program has been a mix of resistance training and cardio, with a heavy emphasis on running.
Foliaki said running is her biggest weakness but she has been boosted by the occasional joint training session with her partner and Jillaroos teammate, Karina Brown.
When their working hours do not collide, the duo help each other out on the training paddock and, while Queensland skipper Brown may be the more experienced of the pair, they have both been able to support each other.
“On days where I am exhausted she’s there to pull me up and get me going and vice versa,” Brown said of Foliaki.
“Running is my strength and her weakness. The gym is her strength and my weakness ... Having her there to pull me along when I just want to go to sleep after a big day has been good.
“I knew I had to put in four weeks of hard work. With the World Cup you don’t really need any more motivation than that. It’s certainly been full on and challenging, but exciting as well.”
Other members of the squad have also found time to train together when they can, particularly on weekends when work is less of a hindrance.
But, aside from working towards their own dreams, Brown said the biggest support had come from the staff, especially the side’s first fulltime strength and conditioning coach, Simon Buxton.
“It’s been amazing because we have access to him 24/7,” she said.
“He’s keeping us on track. We get weekly emails from him and that’s been a huge resource that we’ve never had before.
“We’ve even had a few sessions with him on the weekends (in Brisbane) and they’ve been really hard. He’s pushed us harder than the program.”
Buxton has been using a system called SMARTABASE to track the squad’s progress.
Through an app on his phone, he can monitor their training progression and wellness, and also watch videos of their gym techniques and provide feedback.
He said it’s been hard to work with the team remotely.
But as they begin camp, he knows they are ready.
“They’ve certainly put the work in,” he said.
“The only thing we can control is how we prepare and what sort of condition we’re in. I believe they’ve done everything they’ve been asked to do.”
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