Big picture is emerging for Heat players

The Northern Heat program took a huge leap forward at Saturday’s training session in Armidale with the players putting together the basics from earlier hit outs as the Heat style of play started to emerge.

When players had the ball they were able to transition quickly up the field using handballs and overlap running to support one another, whilst in defence they were able to protect zones and communicate to ensure that all players were accountable.

Coaching Co-ordinator Matt Anderson was extremely happy with the way the players worked during another gruelling session.

“We started with a challenging running drill where they really had to push themselves hard to keep going, then progressed into the ball movement work. Even in a fatigued state the players grasped the concepts quickly and put them into practice, which is a great credit to their coachability,” Anderson said.

The other element to Saturday’s session was an introduction to the strength and conditioning program that they will be expected to undertake whilst the program goes into recess over the Christmas school holiday period.

Northern Heat Coach, Matt Pine spent close to a decade working with the Sydney Swans and is delivering a very similar strength and conditioning program to local players.

“It’s really based on the AFL model so this is what AFL clubs will be doing in their pre-season and their off-season to set themselves up for next year,” Pine said.

The next session is on Saturday 4 February and will include another round of fitness testing, so the players know they will need to make the effort with their strength and conditioning programs. This will be the first of two sessions before both squads head to the Gold Coast on 18 March to play practice matches against the Broadbeach Cats.