An early Saturday morning start, something the Gippsland Power TAC Cup squad members are already well accustomed to, but this wasn’t a normal game day. As the bus made its way to Melbourne along the Princess Highway the anticipation, nerves and excitement grew. The players knew that they had a big day ahead of them and that this day brought them another step closer to the 2012 season starting. It was the day to measure the hard work that has been done over the last few months, it was TAC Cup testing day.
The professionalism of the TAC Cup competition continues to grow, with the league mirroring the operation of the AFL. The standards and expectations are set just as high as they would be for the AFL clubs. The annual league pre season fitness testing day encompasses all 12 TAC Cup sides, and is a great example of the professionalism of the competition. Fitness testing day enables the league, the clubs and the AFL recruiters the opportunity to measure team and individual pre season performances. The testing of endurance (beep test), agility, speed and vertical jump, conducted by draft stars, reflects the testing conducted at the end of year draft combine.
Having all 12 teams in attendance also enables the league to conduct education sessions to clearly outline what is expected of them as TAC Cup players. The sessions, that are the same as those delivered to the AFL, covered areas such as racial vilification, respect and responsibility, the effects of alcohol and illicit drugs, along with a talk from the AFL Players Association on player agents. The key messaging around each of these sessions was decision making and the effects that making the wrong decision can have, the question constantly asked of all of the boys was “what do you want to be known for?” It was highlighted that “doing the right thing is always harder than doing the wrong thing” and that as role models and elite athletes they will be held to a higher standard of behaviour than others. It was reinforced by TAC Cup boss John Hook and the AFLPA that “a player agent won’t get you drafted, you are the only person that can get you drafted” through performances on the field and behaviour off it. All sage advice from experienced people that was well received by the boys.
As the day began, coach Nick Stevens message to the boys was quite simple “enjoy the day, you’ve done all of the work”. He stressed the importance of all 45 of the boys to “stick together, let’s show the league we are a unified team”, and that they did, supporting and encouraging each other all the way through the day. It might have been tests of individual ability, but the boys approached them as a team, pushing each other through. With such a strong culture and close group, it was no real surprise to see former Power players Clay Smith (now Western Bulldogs AFL) and Shaun Wyatt (now Williamstown VLF) taking the opportunity to visit their former team mates and staff, spending the day catching up with and encouraging good mates. Those within AFL Victoria were so impressed with the way in which the Gippsland Power players conducted themselves throughout the day there exceptional behaviour was noted to Regional Manager Pete Francis.
There were notable results in the testing, the big ruckman Jack Leslie excelled in the sprint, Anthony Tipungwuti blitzed the agility run and Tim Membrey had to have the measuring bar raised higher in the vertical jump just so they could record his leap. The beep test was the last activity in a long day, it was here that all those in attendance witnessed something special that will go down in the record books. The beep test involves covering 20 meters in an allocated time that’s measured by audible beeps. As the test progresses through the various levels the beeps get faster, so what starts off as a slow jog eventually becomes an all out sprint. It’s not just a physical test, it also challenges your sheer will and determination against the beeps. The Power boys all performed well, with the whole group still running strong at level 11. Gradually players reached their maximum effort level and began to drop out of the test until there were just two left, Shannen Lange and Daniel Jackson. There were no surprises here, both players are renowned for having massive engines and being able to run all day, the surprise came from just how far they would go.
With their team mates surrounding them and a number of AFL recruiters looking on with intrigue, Shannen Lange made it through to level 14.11 which is an excellent result. From the 43 that started the beep test it was down to just 1, Daniel Jackson. Having people running by your side is a big help in the beep test as it allows you to pace yourself with someone and push through, once it gets down to just you and the beeps it becomes a tough slog. The body is screaming at you to stop, the mind is battling and willing you to keep going. Daniel managed to push through running solo, but had the support of his team mates that all got around him. To the amazement of those watching, Daniel just kept running strong through beep after beep, finally succumbing at level 16.9. To put it into context, when fully fit marathon runner Steve Monaghetti would run a beep test in the 17’s, Daniel was very close to reaching level 17, an incredible effort.
Those that have been around the club this year know that the pre season has challenged the players to step up to a level not seen at the club before. Discovering that Gippsland Power tested as the fittest team in the league shows that the players have met that challenge head on. It’s a credit not just to the boys, but to the program devised by Nick Stevens, Peter Francis and club fitness guru Les Ponton. As the season draws closer the air of excitement builds, the hard work is showing results, the players are the fittest they have ever been. After a long day of testing and a long bus ride home the excitement was still there. For the players round one can’t come quick enough, the hard work doesn’t stop, but they are winning already.
Last Modified on 01/06/2012 14:25