Maitland Pickers’ first step toward the 2015 Newcastle Rugby League season will get under way when the club’s pre-season training starts tonight at Maitland Sportsground.
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With returning Pickers coach Noel Dent yet to finalise his first-grade squad for 2015, tonight and next Tuesday’s session will be as much about getting the group together as anything fitness based.
“We won’t be too heavy, the comp more or less doesn’t start until April, so [tonight] will be as much about touching base with the guys before Christmas,” Dent said.
“After Christmas the tempo most certainly picks up, so these two sessions will be as much about me letting the guys know what they need to do to look after themselves over Christmas.”
With an emphasis on promoting young talent next season, the 2010 premiership-winning coach was confident his side would quickly be in shape for the new year.
“A lot of our young blokes played a lot of footy with comp, school and rep and we’ve also got a few players that will come back to us from the [Newcastle Knights] SG Ball squad,” he said.
“They shouldn’t take too long to reach a decent level of fitness.
“A lot of these early sessions will be about setting a standard in regards to attitude and discipline, and what’s required to compete at the first-grade level.”
While the focus might be on youth, Dent said he would try to balance the squad with a few more experienced players and indicated he would like to bring former Pickers Damien Frize and Jye Bailey back to the club.
Along with any prospective players, Dent said any volunteers who would be interested in helping out the club were welcome to attend.
“We’re looking for any helpers as well as players – we really want to get the community involved and make sure it’s a club the people of Maitland can be proud of,” he said.
Training will start at 5.45pm.
In other rugby league news, Thornton’s Brock Lamb was named man-of-the-match for the Australian Schoolboys in their 22-18 first Test victory against England played at Leigh Sports Village on the weekend.