The news of a confirmed date for this year’s State of Origin received a thrilled reception from members of the Harvey Norman Queensland Maroons squad, as behind-the-scenes, players and staff have all be working hard to be as prepared as possible to face off against New South Wales.
With Friday, November 13 locked in, the squad have a date circled in their diaries and know that the work they have been doing individually and as a team during isolation is about to pay off, with the chance to earn themselves a Maroons jersey.
While the cancellation of the inaugural BHP Premiership came as a blow, not only to the players, but also the Maroons coaching and support staff, attention quickly turned to how to make sure players were well equipped to handle whatever was coming next.
Like all areas of life under COVID-19, situations and conditions continued to change day-to-day, sometimes hour-by-hour, but one thing that remained constant was the need to feel connected.
Aspiring Maroons battle through intense boot camp
Already a tight-knit group following the staging of a number of development camps at both the end of last year and the start of this year, all squad members and staff are also part of a WhatsApp chat group which was designed to keep everyone in contact with each other and also, accountable to each other.
It was through this group chat that medical and performance staff members Kelly Penfold and Robyn Tyler first organised, and still continue to run, weekly workout sessions via Zoom.
“The girls all play across different teams and competitions usually, so getting them together at the best of times can be hard, let alone when we are all isolating,” Penfold said.
Zoom Pilates with the Harvey Norman Queensland Maroons squad
“This has actually been a great opportunity to regularly get them in the same ‘virtual room’ together, and one they can take up because of the current health crisis, as they don’t have access to much equipment or training facilities.”
Penfold, who works as a strength and conditioning coach with the Queensland Academy of Sport, said it was important to facilitate the Queensland sessions for three main reasons.
“One, to lift Queensland spirit and team morale, because as soon as you get the ladies together, they instantly show what that spirit looks like,” Penfold said.
“Reason two is education, as given that these athletes have little to no equipment, it is important to show them how they can utilise a few bands, a box, a wall and a chair.
“And reason three is to complement their other training. All of these ladies have different key priorities to work on, so while we roll through a 30-minute session, they don’t have to choose that session at the expense of something else – they can complete this at the start or end of another key session – such as running or strength.”
With athletes aligning to multiple teams such as the Jillaroos national squad and BHP Premiership clubs, SMARTABASE Athlete Management System has played a vital role towards monitoring player wellness and training load.
Leading physiotherapist Carly Jenner has been integral towards capturing this data via the platform and has provided important insight into the squads playing availability for all coaching staff.
Always looking to find the positives in any situation, the Origin delay has given some players the time they needed to recover from surgery, including captain Ali Brigginshaw who underwent two rounds of surgery after suffering a syndesmosis injury in a pre-season trial.
As well as noting player progress via SMARTABASE, additionally, the coaching staff of Jason Hetherington, Karyn Murphy, Nat Dwyer and team manager Jo Barrett have all been reaching out individually to players to check in and make sure they are keeping on track.
Barrett, who is a house dean at Nudgee College, also provided support when needed to players who were finding remote schooling with their children to be difficult to manage.
While some players had to contend with increased pressure at home to not only guide their children through their lessons, but also contend with their own working from home demands, others faced the anxiety of being essential workers who still had to head out to their jobs each day.
Others however, like Souths Logan Magpies captain Annette Brander, took up the chance to further their studies via new online education courses, which while being a fantastic personal development opportunity, added another dimension to her daily juggle.
For sports trainer Robyn Tyler, understanding that everyday life may be throwing up new challenges to the players was a key reason for her to join Penfold in giving players the option of group workouts.
“I think we just wanted to use the sessions to check in on the girls, as well as keep them fit and motivated,” Tyler said.
“Obviously, physical activity also has a hugely positive impact in mental health – particularly during such trying times.”
The rescheduled Origin fixture has given all players a target to look forward to, and there is a renewed vigour amongst the group, with Queensland legend Steph Hancock sharing her enthusiasm at the announcement by literally counting down the days.
“We have 174 more sleeps until SOO!”
Bring on November and bring on State of Origin.
Go Queensland.
