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Wests Tigers train in Kiama ahead of big match with Penrith
Up and back...the Wests Tigers put in the hard yards in Kiama. Picture: Brett Costello Source: The Daily Telegraph
Main attraction...the Wests Tigers train in Kiama. Picture: Brett Costello Source: The Daily Telegraph
BENJI Marshall is doing push-ups in the mud as the rain belts down. Robbie Farah is sprinting beside little yellow cones as Steve Folkes quietly gives instruction.
And Chris Lawrence runs round and round the oval as a couple of schoolgirls giggle and take pictures on a mobile phone.
Down in Kiama after Saturday night's heartbreaking loss to Souths, this may not be camp crisis for the Tigers but it ain't no holiday either. On the cusp of the eight and desperate not to slip, the Tigers yesterday slogged it out for nearly two hours in the pouring rain, making sure they would never be beaten like that again.
Down in Kiama to bond and regroup, the Tigers spent yesterday training, eating and working together in the hope of getting it all right. The day, however, started oh so wrong. At 9.53am, as the players arrived at Kiama Oval for a Tim Sheens master class, a council worker walked out on to Kiama Oval and hammered a sign into the mud: "Ground Closed."
"We can't have them chopping up the field," the worker said.
"We can't let them ruin the grounds for everyone else just because they're the Tigers."
All the grounds in Kiama were closed. All but one.
"The AFL Oval doesn't really hold water," said the worker.
So as the AFL wages a war on Sydney's west, the rugby league team from Campbelltown headed to the Aussie Rules field in Kiama.
Undeterred by foreign goalposts, the players kick, pass and laugh their way out on to the field.
Looking anything but a team in trouble they took turns at being Tony Lockett. First Chris Heighington booted one through the middle, and then Farah. But the laughing and kicking stopped when Sheens and Folkes made their way out to help them prepare for the Panthers.
With the troops running a lap around the oval, Folkes began putting cones down as locals emerged from their houses.
With one crack of the whip, Folkes had the Tigers running up and down the oval in a tight defensive line. Running 10m forward, touching the ground, and then running 10m back. The players screamed things like "as one" and "stay together" as the distance increased. The harder it got, the louder they yelled.
Now with his hood off and the top of his head exposed to the rain, Sheens took over. Taking them to his side of the field, Sheens matched up the players in the gold shirts against those in the black. But it was the bloke in the white shirt who was the man in the middle. With that famous No. 6 on his back, Benji Marshall was given the ball and told to attack. With an ambush of speedy Tigers by his side, Benji was sent towards the line.
But the swelling crowd of hairdressers, bricklayers and schoolgirls didn't get any Marshall magic at first - they got push-ups. After sending the ball to nobody, Marshall and his speedy mates were sent to the slushy ground for 20. But after a nod and a point from Sheens, Marshall started putting them away.
First it was Blake Ayshford who went hurtling between the blue pads with the ball on his chest. Then it was Beau Ryan who was put around them. And then Benji went through himself, with the type of brilliant play that makes him the key to the Tigers' dream.
After a 30-minute tune-up they were sent back to Folkes.
After almost being embarrassed by the Sharks and having their pants pulled down by the Rabbitohs, it appears the Tigers are serious.
After some more ball work they pull into a huddle and launch into a set of push-ups. Doing 20 at a time, they stop for just five seconds before launching into more. They again offer encouragement to each other as some start to break and they get each other through.
As the session draws to a close, they know they have done the work. Know they won't be beaten on the bell again.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...tch-with-penrith/story-e6frexnr-1225903639240
- By James Phelps
- From: The Daily Telegraph
- August 11, 2010 12:00AM
Up and back...the Wests Tigers put in the hard yards in Kiama. Picture: Brett Costello Source: The Daily Telegraph
Main attraction...the Wests Tigers train in Kiama. Picture: Brett Costello Source: The Daily Telegraph
BENJI Marshall is doing push-ups in the mud as the rain belts down. Robbie Farah is sprinting beside little yellow cones as Steve Folkes quietly gives instruction.
And Chris Lawrence runs round and round the oval as a couple of schoolgirls giggle and take pictures on a mobile phone.
Down in Kiama after Saturday night's heartbreaking loss to Souths, this may not be camp crisis for the Tigers but it ain't no holiday either. On the cusp of the eight and desperate not to slip, the Tigers yesterday slogged it out for nearly two hours in the pouring rain, making sure they would never be beaten like that again.
Down in Kiama to bond and regroup, the Tigers spent yesterday training, eating and working together in the hope of getting it all right. The day, however, started oh so wrong. At 9.53am, as the players arrived at Kiama Oval for a Tim Sheens master class, a council worker walked out on to Kiama Oval and hammered a sign into the mud: "Ground Closed."
"We can't have them chopping up the field," the worker said.
"We can't let them ruin the grounds for everyone else just because they're the Tigers."
All the grounds in Kiama were closed. All but one.
"The AFL Oval doesn't really hold water," said the worker.
So as the AFL wages a war on Sydney's west, the rugby league team from Campbelltown headed to the Aussie Rules field in Kiama.
Undeterred by foreign goalposts, the players kick, pass and laugh their way out on to the field.
Looking anything but a team in trouble they took turns at being Tony Lockett. First Chris Heighington booted one through the middle, and then Farah. But the laughing and kicking stopped when Sheens and Folkes made their way out to help them prepare for the Panthers.
With the troops running a lap around the oval, Folkes began putting cones down as locals emerged from their houses.
With one crack of the whip, Folkes had the Tigers running up and down the oval in a tight defensive line. Running 10m forward, touching the ground, and then running 10m back. The players screamed things like "as one" and "stay together" as the distance increased. The harder it got, the louder they yelled.
Now with his hood off and the top of his head exposed to the rain, Sheens took over. Taking them to his side of the field, Sheens matched up the players in the gold shirts against those in the black. But it was the bloke in the white shirt who was the man in the middle. With that famous No. 6 on his back, Benji Marshall was given the ball and told to attack. With an ambush of speedy Tigers by his side, Benji was sent towards the line.
But the swelling crowd of hairdressers, bricklayers and schoolgirls didn't get any Marshall magic at first - they got push-ups. After sending the ball to nobody, Marshall and his speedy mates were sent to the slushy ground for 20. But after a nod and a point from Sheens, Marshall started putting them away.
First it was Blake Ayshford who went hurtling between the blue pads with the ball on his chest. Then it was Beau Ryan who was put around them. And then Benji went through himself, with the type of brilliant play that makes him the key to the Tigers' dream.
After a 30-minute tune-up they were sent back to Folkes.
After almost being embarrassed by the Sharks and having their pants pulled down by the Rabbitohs, it appears the Tigers are serious.
After some more ball work they pull into a huddle and launch into a set of push-ups. Doing 20 at a time, they stop for just five seconds before launching into more. They again offer encouragement to each other as some start to break and they get each other through.
As the session draws to a close, they know they have done the work. Know they won't be beaten on the bell again.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sp...tch-with-penrith/story-e6frexnr-1225903639240
