Young Sea Eagles feel the brunt of day one training

Head of Performance Don Singe pushes forward Alec Tuitavake hard in the Wingate test.

Author: Wayne Cousins
Timestamp: Thu 19 Nov 2020, 04:35 PM

Some of Manly’s most exciting young players were put through a gruelling first day of pre-season training at Sea Eagles headquarters at Narrabeen today.

With the NRL squad split into three groups, today’s training group featured the likes of Josh Schuster, Ben Trbojevic, and Keith Titmuss, as well as 2021 Development players Jade Anderson, Zac Saddler, Sione Fainu, Kaeo Weekes and Alec Tuitavake.

Josh Schuster undergoes a range of movement assessment on day one of pre-season training under the guidance of Strength and Conditioning Coach Conor Daly. ©Ben Hamilton (Manly Media)

Fainu, Weekes and Tuitavake have come through the Sea Eagles’ Harold Matthews and SG Ball teams with all three representing the NSW U18s in 2019.

The rest of the NRL squad will have their first day of testing over the next two Thursdays as preparations ramp up for the Club's 75th Anniversary in 2021.

Origin players Daly Cherry-Evans and Jake Trbojevic are not expected to return to training to January.

The players had to undergo assessments with physiotherapists, podiatrist, optometrist, dietician, cognitive test and functional testing.

Strength and Conditioning Coach Conor Daly puts Ben Trbojevic through a shoulder strength test. ©Ben Hamilton (Manly Media)

The most gruelling assessment was the Wingate test which sees players undertake a cycle test of anaerobic leg power over 30 second intervals.

Sea Eagles Head of Performance Don Singe said day one of testing is about getting a wealth of information on the players.

“Today is all baseline measurement which means we have to start somewhere with any athlete,’’ Singe said.

“We already know where we are going. We don’t make that our threshold, because we always push past, but we have got a very strong idea metrically of where we have to be.