It’s week 11 of pre-season, my fourth with the Eels.
We’re starting to get into real footy now.
Back-to-back training is pretty full on, but now we can almost taste the start of the 2021 NRL season.
The young boys had a hit-out in our first trial last Thursday against the St George Illawarra Dragons.
This Saturday, the rest of us will get some kilometres in the legs in our second and last trial against the Penrith Panthers.
Then we’ll back off training a bit and Round One is just around the corner.
I can’t wait.
Pre-season can be pretty repetitive.
Mentally, it’s fatiguing.
But the more of them you do, the easier it gets because you know what to expect and what your body needs to get through it.
A little bit of experience goes a long way.
This year, it has been really good having more of the young boys from the 20s around.
They’ve fitted in really well, impacted the team for the better and lifted us when we need it.
Then you’ve got the typical frontrunners, who lead the pack from day one.
For Gutho and Dyl, it’s a battle of the fittest.
They always return in fine form.
Me, I’m feeling good.
I’m just focusing on the year ahead.
I want to play every game, stay injury free and of course, win the comp.
A year without an NRL ‘bubble’ would also be nice.
But no excuses.
And for those wondering, a day in my Parra pre-season pretty much goes like this:
5:15am - Wake up
5:30am - Leave for training (bag packed night before)
5:55am - Pick up coffee
6:10am - Arrive at training
6:30am - Breakfast
7:00am - Preparation for field session
9:00am - Field session
11:45am - Lunch
12:30pm - Gym session
1:30pm - Contact session
2:00pm - Massage
3:00pm - Home time
4:00pm - Nap
7:00pm - Dinner
9:30pm - Bed
