With a series of night games scheduled for GC SUNS throughout the AFL season the GC SUNS hit the training track last night in a bid to adapt to the conditions of playing with the yellow sherrin ahead of their NAB Cup match against the Sydney Swans at Blacktown this Saturday night.
Prior to Wednesday’s training session, Schwerdt exclusively told goldcoastfc.com.au that the SUNS high performance team would be looking to include a series of after-hours sessions throughout the AFL Season.
“We’ll certainly be trialling the nights (training session) three or four times a year throughout the season, to see if it helps the boys adapt to the conditions of playing under the lights,” said Schwerdt.
“But because the ball can get quite slippery up here in Queensland (due to the humid and slippery conditions) we feel that by familiarising to the conditions it’ll give us a distinct competitive advantage over our southern AFL rivals who don’t have the opportunity to train in such conditions.”
Assistant coach Matthew Primus told goldcoastfc.com.au that the opportunity to train under the lights would also give the players a break from their usual morning training program.
“It definitely gives the player’s a taste of something a little different as we have been use to constantly training at the same time everyone morning, so breaking it up is a little different,” said Primus.
“Like all teams we play quite a number of games under lights, so it makes since that where possible that we train in the conditions that you play, and we are lucky we can do that here at Metricon Stadium.”
