I've just watched the season preview interviews on the Sun website and Jon Wilkin looks like Maradona and one thing a few of them mention is the gym work. Catalans' main down side was their discipline and fitness, are we in danger of having an overly beefed up set of cattle next year?

It's also good to hear them being so positive about our chances for next season with Wello telling us 2009 is going to be a transitional period, Roby saying he hopes we don't lose to Leeds in the final again and Jammer saying he's sure we'll be in the top half of the table.

Setting his sights high then?

As regards being beefed up, I thought Wello and KC looked a fair few pounds lighter than last year actually.

viewtopic.php?t=393020 Looks like my team (apart from LB) have had a go on the weights too. Should be a cracking opener a week on friday

viewtopic.php?t=393020 Looks like my team (apart from LB) have had a go on the weights too. Should be a cracking opener a week on friday

On the SL broadcast the players said they had been doing a lot of wrestling in training.

Now dont know how much we did last season, but the wrestling stuff is what has helped ruin the nrl.
If we spend too much time wrestling with players we are likely to see a big negative on the penalty count against us

We did wrestling with Millward, bit of MMA neverhurt anyone...

UFC 105 @ Knowsley Rd, can't wait

I know where your coming from mate, but also Micky Potter has stated how he`s a keen beliver in discipline on the pitch, so hopefully it shouldntbe too much of a problem.

Wigan have been doing the same. I'm going to agree with you (for once) that it has a negative effect on the game.

Hopefully, the wrestling training will have been focused on us winning the tussles in attack, and carrying on with our quick PTB.

indeed - it works both ways, we need to be strong enough to win the wrestle when are attacking.

Aye I think they will be calling it the 6 wrestle rule from now on, tackling as we know it round the legs is something of a rarity in todays game.

Mainly because players are skillful across the board, meaning they can offload.

A prop with the ability to offload is nothing "special" in the modern game, so covering the ball is vital.

Catalans were the most indisciplined side last year, so I'm not sure that makes a difference. I imagine the Saints side are a little bit smarter and more experienced than the French, but I feel we'll be giving away more penalties this year anyway. If the players have bulked like many have said, we'll possibly be a little bit slower which could see a few penalties around the ruck.

Although, there are positives to these training methods too obviously, so it's not all bad.

Did you see Mick Potter interviewed on Boots'n'All last night? He said that he has been focusing more on what goes on during a match than on the silverware. I think he may be doing a good psych thing of getting them off the silverware treadmill, the one that Daniel Anderson seemed firmly stuck on! I think that might be a good thing.

I quite enjoyed the silverware treadmill. In fact I was most upset when it stalled those two times in successive Octobers. Maybe it's a seasonal maintenance thing.

Forgot to spray the WD40/replace the plugs.

I think a few of the parts are getting old, rusty and need replacing.

Dont be too hard on yeself owd lad.

I can't wait to see what kind of influence Potter has on our attacking play. With him being a former full back as well I'll be interested to see how we progress in that position.

Oh dear, poor Roby.

Oops. That didn't go so well either. His influence on our attacking play was to completely stiffle it and he turned Wello from an international into a player most now want moving to 13 or out of the side completely.

interesting how everyone talked about the "wrestle" in the pre-season and how it would affect our tactics and training.

as for Potter getting us off the "silverwear treadmill" - I think we can safely say JOB DONE!

I don't recall Wellens being that great at international level in the World Cup which is before Potter arrived. A few of us were saying two years that we needed to be looking at replacing Wellens at full back and we need to have a backup plan in case Lomax isn't able to force his way into the starting spot, for whatever reason.