Roger Tuivasa-Sheck would love to bottle the enthusiasm his Warriors have shown on day one of training in quarantine in Tamworth.
But he knows that will be a tall order.
After six weeks of being cooped-up in lockdown in New Zealand, the players ran, trained and lifted weights with a gusto that the captain described as liberating, even if the routine was far from normal.
Groups of seven or eight players were woken at set times and put through a regimented program of breakfast, gym work, field work, gym work and a swim.
World class fullback Tuivasa-Sheck said his group comprised spine players and that it felt good to be ordered through his paces after weeks of working out solo in his garage or back yard in Auckland.
The team’s trainers were in their element and, at this stage, the players were fully compliant at the Scully Park training venue adjacent to their hotel.
“It’s only been two days, we’re just excited to be around each other. It might be a different scenario in two weeks though,” Tuivasa-Sheck said.
“We’re keeping the groups small to work on their skills, which is helpful for all of us, having been away from the game for so long. It’s about getting your rhythm and timing back.”
It was too early for any homesickness to set in but Tuivasa-Sheck said the players had agreed to look out for signs of any individual doing it tough during their Australian odyssey of up to six months.
“We’re all in different situations but it’s about rallying together as a group,” he said.
“We’re checking up on each other because player wellbeing will come into this. It’s making sure we keep an eye on each other and then that we’re ready to go in round one.”
Even though social distancing would apply throughout their two weeks of quarantine in Tamworth, the hotel was set up in a way to encourage socialising.
One room was a designated gathering space even though the players will have to chat at a distance.
The training will be full-on by necessity in the leadup to a May 28 competition resumption.
“It was a tough session today and it’s going to be like that for the next two weeks,” Tuivasa-Sheck said.
“But it’s starting to feel real now.”
