It’s just weeks away from the nib Newcastle Knights' pre-season commencing on November 1.
Knights TV spoke with Physical Performance Manager Tony Ayoub about what’s in store for the players, and said a number of players are already preparing for a tough few months ahead.
“We have already had a number of guys in, doing a number of things just to make sure they’re up to speed,” explained Ayoub.
“They know what’s coming in the November, December period and it is a pretty tough period for them.
Ayoub emphasised that he wants the players to hit the ground running when they kick-off pre-season training from November 1.
“With the new recruits coming on, we cannot afford any of our guys to come back out of shape and have to spend a fair portion of our pre-Christmas period trying to get up to speed to a decent level,” Ayoub commented.
“The onus is on them and they are professionals to come back in decent shape so that we make every session count pre-Christmas.
Ayoub maintains a successful pre-season is the key to a competitive 2018 season.
“You look at Melbourne (Storm), North Queensland (Cowboys), Brisbane (Broncos) and the (Sydney) Roosters, they all finished quite high up and were dominant right across the paddock physically but we’ve got to get to those levels.
“We have to reach beyond so that is our aim and we are trying to improve our benchmark and really compete with those sides.
