The tough slog over the summer has paid dividends for the Northern Heat players, judged on the testing results achieved in Saturday's first session for 2022.
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The two squads were put through their paces with a 1km time trial to determine who had completed the program set for them over the summer.
Community Football and Competition Manager for Northern NSW (NNSW) Paul Taylor said the results were excellent, reporting that the vast majority of the players achieved a marked improvement against the times they recorded in early December; proving the point that hard work really does pay off.
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Following the fitness testing, both squads trained on clearance work, where the focus was on breaking clear of the contest through the use of fast handballs.
Taylor said this approach mirrors what is expected of players at higher levels of the game, such as NAB League and VFL, with the coaching drills being shared from the Sydney Swans Academy and Southport Sharks.
Northern Heat Coaching Co-ordinator Matt Anderson was impressed with the efforts throughout the session.
"Getting fitter doesn't just mean that the players can run for longer, it also means that they can stay in the contest and have an influence on matches for longer," Anderson said.
"That ability to stay focused and play a modern brand of footy will really be evident when club activities hit full swing in the next month or two. That's when the players will really appreciate how far they've come and will be keener than ever to push on with their development."
The squads have further training sessions on Saturday February 26 in Coffs Harbour and Saturday March 19 in Armidale, before the program wraps up with the annual matches against the Southport Sharks on April 9.
