In light of the addition of three new coaches (and the seeming extension of Campbell's contract) I was interested to read the following article about Cachia's pre-season training in a Super Rugby environment and particularly the emphasis on "aggressive power speed training" to improve speed over the first 20 to 40 metres.
Leading up to draft, game for a challenge
Rohan Connolly
November 16, 2011.
SCRUMS. Lineouts. Mauls. Not the sort of terminology you'd normally associate with an AFL draft hopeful, but something with which former Carlton rookie Jaryd Cachia has suddenly become very familiar.
Delisted by the Blues in September after two years on the rookie list, Cachia is in the middle of an intense three-week training program; not with another AFL club, but with Super Rugby team, the ACT Brumbies.
It was a move born out of necessity; Cachia having an end-of-season shoulder operation and on recovery, unable to even train with his old AFL club, which had taken off to Qatar and Abu Dhabi for a pre-season campaign. That was when Cachia took a call from his uncle Dean Benton, the Brumbies' athletic performance director.
''He just rang up and said, 'Once you're out of the sling, come up here and train with the rugby boys','' Cachia said yesterday. ''I didn't have anywhere to train, so I did it. I've been up here about a week, just working in the areas I need to improve on - such as my speed - and just getting myself fit again.''
But the unexpected turn of events is beginning to prove inspired. Cachia has an invitation to train with Essendon when he returns to Melbourne on Saturday week. And the Brumbies' arduous program is already making a difference. ''It was something certainly a bit left-field, but Dean had spoken to the club, and they were fine with it, and I've thoroughly enjoyed it so far. I think where it's been a real positive for me is that the program is really individualised. The conditioning staff really identify what each player needs to improve on, and they really emphasise that. The exercises in the gym have helped and the work outside on the pitch has been great.''
Cachia's sole experience of rugby before last week was in a few knockaround games he played while on a foreign exchange program. But he's already developed a whole new level of respect for a different football code.
''There's blokes here that are 100-odd kilograms who are quicker than an AFL midfielder,'' he said. ''Even some of the forwards, there are blokes who are 200 centimetres that could probably outrun most other midfielders. They're really powerful, strong men.''
Cachia, who played in Carlton's first-round NAB Cup games this year against Collingwood and Richmond, has made it his mission to improve his explosive speed off the mark after getting squeezed out of the Blues' burgeoning midfield stocks.
''They were pretty good about it,'' he said. ''They'd sat down as a match committee and looked at where they wanted to be in a couple of years and they like the midfield group they've got, so there won't be a lot of adjustment to it. There just wasn't enough spots for me.''
It was Benton who gave him the necessary pick-me-up just when it was needed. The respected fitness man, who has also worked with rugby league side the Brisbane Broncos, did some consulting work with Adelaide last season.
''He worked with a group of about 10-15 players, and he showed me the results of how much they'd improved their speed over the first 20 to 40 metres,'' Cachia said. ''That explosive starting speed is really important. That's what Dean looks after, and I really think it can help me improve.''
Cachia has already seen enough with the Brumbies to decide there's plenty that AFL clubs could learn from the rugby world.
''The speed training I've been doing I think is a lot more advanced than what I've had,'' he said. ''Here, it's really aggressive training. There's sled-pulling, plyometrics training [in which muscles are loaded then contracted in rapid sequence], there's a lot of explosive jumping and bounding, hopping. And there's a lot of agility work, where you're tied down; you've got these big elastic strength bands held around you to give resistance. It's really aggressive power speed training.'' Cachia says he's ''quietly confident'' he can find a new AFL home come draft time. ''If I wasn't, I probably wouldn't have worried about the work I'm doing at the moment,'' he said. ''I still think I've got a lot to offer a club … I still feel within myself that I can make an impact at AFL level.''
He'll certainly earn points for effort. Cachia is already highly regarded for his work ethic and attitude. Now, he might have won a whole new army of fans in the recruiting world for his preparedness to embrace the unorthodox.
Read more:
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/leading-up-to-draft-game-for-a-challenge-20111115-1nh5z.html#ixzz1dqI71zemPerhaps rather than looking for any more football coaches it might be a better idea to seek out an athletic performance director like Benton from an elite sport like Super Rugby to focus on fitness development as a priority for young players, call it an "Athletic Development Manager".
We already have an Elite Performance Manager (Matthew Hornsby), Rehabilitation and Conditioning Coach (Terry Condon) and Strength & Conditioning Coach (Adam Douglas) so I guess it's probably out of the question and would require a lot of research to find the right person but personally think it's a better investment than another footy coach when we have eight already.
It's probably lusting after the type of role that Craig fills at Melbourne but where we need most effort - development - and doesn't interfere with existing fitness staff.
