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Emirates Western Force Head Coach Richard Graham has praised the efforts of his playing squad and off-field team in what has been a gruelling pre-Christmas conditioning campaign.
The Perth side kick started their preparations for the 2011 Super Rugby season on November 1 with accountability the key message for the group that features no less than a dozen new faces.
“We have had a number of new players come into the programme and they have adapted well to life in Perth and the unique elite rugby environment that we are able to offer here in Western Australia,” Graham said.
“We’ve asked a lot of questions of the players over the past seven weeks and I’m pleased with their efforts to this point. We’ve laid a foundation for our rugby development to step up in January.
“It was all about us setting a high level of expectation and accountability in the programme and the players have really bought into that,” said Graham.
It’s not just in the playing roster where there have been changes for next season with the off-field performance team enjoying new perspectives provided by some highly credentialed rugby staff.
“Our new Head of Strength & Conditioning Charlie Higgins and his offsider Brendyn Appleby, who has been here since 2005, have done an outstanding job at establishing our fitness programme. They’ve continued to challenge and stimulate the players through various forms of conditioning,” said Graham.
The ability to push the players to new levels is only possible if they’re fit and healthy and the club’s medical staff, including senior physiotherapist Rob Naish, who has been involved in the professional programme at the Emirates Western Force since its inception, and new assistant physio Merv Travers have been working hand in hand to keep all the boys on the park, and the results speak for themselves.
“To this point we have had the lowest number of preventable soft tissue injuries in our history,” Graham said.
“A lot of credit there has to go to Rob and Merv, they’ve established a great relationship with the strength and conditioning team and together they have all managed the loads on the players very well.
“Conditioning and medical is such an integral part of any football programme and I believe ours is performing really well and that will be a significant benefit for us in what will be a big 2011 campaign.”
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