Super Cronk
30-03-06, 10:53 AM
heraldsun.com.au
IT IS the travelling troupe of the NRL. In little more than six weeks Melbourne Storm has covered a staggering 17,000km.
Including trial matches in Ballina, Griffith and Toowoomba, as well as training camp on the Gold Coast, Storm has spent almost as much time out of Melbourne as it has at home.
In its opening three rounds it has tackled the two most gruelling road trips in the competition, opening its season in Auckland and then travelling to Townsville to face North Queensland Cowboys last weekend.
It faces another away game on Sunday, in Sydney against Wests Tigers, before a Round 5 bye.
It will then hike to Adelaide to play Penrith in Round 6, finally enjoying a home game in Round 7, against title favourite Newcastle.
With its home base at Olympic Park off limits during the Commonwealth Games, Storm had braced itself for the rigorous schedule.
But with a week to go before a much-needed breather, coach Craig Bellamy conceded the hectic campaign had begun to take its toll.
"It definitely starts to hit you, particularly the long trips we've had," Bellamy said.
"To play in Auckland and Townsville with a Sydney trip in between is a big ask.
"You basically lose a day travelling to and from those places.
"And not only does it take a bit out of you, it shortens your turnaround and preparation for the following week.
"We always knew that we would be on the road to start the year, but maybe exactly where we had to go could have been looked at a bit more closely."
By the time it has completed its duties in Sydney and Adelaide, Storm will have travelled almost 20,000km.
But Bellamy said he was not looking for excuses for his team, which was badly beaten by the Cowboys on Saturday.
"I saw no signs of fatigue in our preparation for the Cowboys," Bellamy said.
"We trained well and I expected us to play a lot better than we did.
"I think the bye is coming at a very good time for us.
"But we have another job to do this weekend and if we can pick this one up, we'll be in good shape."
Back-rower Ryan Hoffman said the team had made a policy of not complaining about the heavy schedule.
"In a normal season we travel every second weekend, so we are a bit used to it," Hoffman said.
"Before the season started we came up with the motto to play 'anyone, anywhere, anytime'. That's what we've lived by."
Storm's training staff has slanted much of its work toward player recovery.
Most ball sessions are short and sharp, and conditioning work has been reduced to a bare minimum.
"We have been doing a lot of cross-training stuff, rock climbing, swimming and cycle classes, just to break it up," winger Matt Geyer said.
"There is a lot of emphasis on hydration, hot and cold baths, just ensuring out bodies are right to go each week.
"It hasn't been easy, particularly for the guys with families. But the one blessing is having a lot of away games now means we will have a lot at home later in the year.
"If we can pick up our fair share of wins now, we should be right up there."
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poll: Do you think the draw could have been made a bit easier for the storm in the early rounds? (by easier i mean travel wise)
IT IS the travelling troupe of the NRL. In little more than six weeks Melbourne Storm has covered a staggering 17,000km.
Including trial matches in Ballina, Griffith and Toowoomba, as well as training camp on the Gold Coast, Storm has spent almost as much time out of Melbourne as it has at home.
In its opening three rounds it has tackled the two most gruelling road trips in the competition, opening its season in Auckland and then travelling to Townsville to face North Queensland Cowboys last weekend.
It faces another away game on Sunday, in Sydney against Wests Tigers, before a Round 5 bye.
It will then hike to Adelaide to play Penrith in Round 6, finally enjoying a home game in Round 7, against title favourite Newcastle.
With its home base at Olympic Park off limits during the Commonwealth Games, Storm had braced itself for the rigorous schedule.
But with a week to go before a much-needed breather, coach Craig Bellamy conceded the hectic campaign had begun to take its toll.
"It definitely starts to hit you, particularly the long trips we've had," Bellamy said.
"To play in Auckland and Townsville with a Sydney trip in between is a big ask.
"You basically lose a day travelling to and from those places.
"And not only does it take a bit out of you, it shortens your turnaround and preparation for the following week.
"We always knew that we would be on the road to start the year, but maybe exactly where we had to go could have been looked at a bit more closely."
By the time it has completed its duties in Sydney and Adelaide, Storm will have travelled almost 20,000km.
But Bellamy said he was not looking for excuses for his team, which was badly beaten by the Cowboys on Saturday.
"I saw no signs of fatigue in our preparation for the Cowboys," Bellamy said.
"We trained well and I expected us to play a lot better than we did.
"I think the bye is coming at a very good time for us.
"But we have another job to do this weekend and if we can pick this one up, we'll be in good shape."
Back-rower Ryan Hoffman said the team had made a policy of not complaining about the heavy schedule.
"In a normal season we travel every second weekend, so we are a bit used to it," Hoffman said.
"Before the season started we came up with the motto to play 'anyone, anywhere, anytime'. That's what we've lived by."
Storm's training staff has slanted much of its work toward player recovery.
Most ball sessions are short and sharp, and conditioning work has been reduced to a bare minimum.
"We have been doing a lot of cross-training stuff, rock climbing, swimming and cycle classes, just to break it up," winger Matt Geyer said.
"There is a lot of emphasis on hydration, hot and cold baths, just ensuring out bodies are right to go each week.
"It hasn't been easy, particularly for the guys with families. But the one blessing is having a lot of away games now means we will have a lot at home later in the year.
"If we can pick up our fair share of wins now, we should be right up there."
-----
poll: Do you think the draw could have been made a bit easier for the storm in the early rounds? (by easier i mean travel wise)