The future looks bright in the women’s game in Queensland, with the Queensland Rugby League hosting a special camp for senior elite-level players this past weekend.
Members of this year's Queensland Female Performance Program squad gathered in Brisbane for the two-day camp which incorporated not only physical testing and skills training, but also education around good nutrition and wellbeing.
“It was great to see the enthusiasm and commitment during the (physical) screening, wellbeing and education sessions and the field work,” QRL representative programs and female elite pathways manager Mitchell Constance said.
“This camp was the big piece to gather information to help the players on their journey and to aid in their development.”
While there have been Emerging Origin and skills development camps for female players in the past; this was the first of its kind with senior Harvey Norman Queensland Maroons eligible women from across the state joining together for an overnight camp.
This new format also allowed the coaching and strength and conditioning staff to target key areas for improvement within the squad, with the players looking to put their best foot forward for upcoming women’s statewide competition and the Holden State of Origin game taking place next June on the Sunshine Coast.
This approach allows for individual program development and helps to set benchmarks which will be monitored by staff via the Athlete Management System known as Smartabase, which has been adopted by the QRL’s Pathways and Performance department to assist players.
Attendees at the camp were provided with a practical demonstration of the system’s capabilities, with all players and staff keen to gain the most they could from the platform.
The introduction of multiple camps is just one element of the QRL’s new structured performance program which is gearing players towards achieving the best preparation possible for the upcoming QRL statewide competition.
