WELL, the off-season is over and we’re now back into pre-season getting ready for 2011. All the players are back into training apart from a select and fortunate few. From what I hear Tadhg is single-handedly keeping the Irish economy afloat through personal stimulus packages to his local pubs, whilst Jarrad McVeigh, Adam Goodes and Kizza (Kieren Jack) enjoy an extra week off because they played in the International Rules Series last month. (Tip of the cap to the boys for winning the series over there, but Kizza, is it really necessary now that you’re back in Sydney to wear your Australian shorts every day… every day!?)
As for myself, I bucked the trend followed by most AFL players at this time of year and I didn’t get a tattoo. Also, not wanting to lose too much fitness over the break I thought that I’d experiment with different forms of exercise to change up my off-season training routine.
- I did a bit of swimming and worked hard to try to master the tumble turn. After a few weeks of trying I still can’t do them, in fact I think I’m probably worse now than before I started. On the positive side, I’m now really good at doing somersaults in the shallow end of the pool.
- I gave Bikram yoga a go. For those who don’t know, it’s yoga done in a room that’s 40 degrees or so. I liken it to hopping into a car on a hot day with the doors closed, windows up, and stretching whilst simultaneously wiping the constant sweat out of your eyes. To make matters worse I paid $20 to do it. ($20 that could have been far better spent on a “Duncan Armstrong’s How to Tumble Turn” book.)
- I’ve started to get back into surfing. When I say “get back into surfing” I’m trying to portray the image that some time in the past I was actually really good at surfing, when all I really did was buy a wet suit and a surf board and watch Fuel channel on Foxtel. Although, somewhat arrogantly, I’ve improved in this area a bit.
- Moving house. Not sure if this “technically” counts as off-season training but I’ll claim it nonetheless.
At training on Monday we got to meet the new draftees. I asked Matthew Spangher what nickname he goes by to which he replied “Spang”. I did a double take.
Now, I love a good creative nickname almost as much as I love a banana paddle pop. As a nickname “Spang” left me a little disenchanted. Overhearing the conversation Matt and I were having, Jarred Moore (aka Bulldog) walked up to Matt and put a hand on his shoulder and quietly informed him that something’s going to be needed to be done about his nickname. Watch this space. (“Watch this space” is a segue for my next blog topic.)
Finally, big news on ‘The Richards Report’ front as the column/me is now on Twitter!!! (If that sentence isn’t worth triple exclamation marks then I don’t know what is. This is bigger than The Beatles on iTunes.)
Look me up, add me, follow me etc at @richards_report.
Twitter is new to me and I’m currently only following one person. I’m following Jobe Watson and attempting to be the first person to do a tagging/shut down role on him in the Twitter world.
It’s good to be back.
Ted Richards
@richards_report
