Hampton prepared to hit the ground running in season 2020
WE will be
2020.
With that statement, Cowboys utility Ben Hampton has revealed how he’ll prepare himself mentally for the indefinite shutdown of the NRL.
It’s been just two weeks since he scored a try against the Bulldogs, his second in two games to start the season, in what was the first NRL game played behind closed doors.
That plan lasted one weekend, with the NRL forced to playing footy in suspend the season. Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V’landys has already discussed plans of potential returns from anywhere between July and September.
But for now, Hampton and his teammates find themselves in an unprecedented and totally foreign predicament no footballer has experienced for generations.
It goes without saying that rugby league, and sport as a whole, pale in comparison with the global pandemic that is COVID-19, but for Hampton, this is his livelihood. This is a time, Hampton says, when everyone involved in rugby league is in full swing.
But rather than being a contest of physicality, the Mareeba junior is now in one of the toughest mental battles of his career.
“Mentally, it’s tough on us players,” Hampton said.
“It’s so uncertain, but it’s not just us. It’s affected a lot of people, and a lot of businesses the world over.
“You just have to have it in your mind that you’ll be playing footy this year. You have to be looking after yourself.
“If a few weeks pass and footy comes back, you have to be ready to play.”
Hampton had just returned to the game.
He missed much of last year due to a serious bicep injury, and earlier this year was sidelined for the Cowboys’ pre-season trials.
Fully expecting to return to the Northern Pride in the Intrust Super Cup, Hampton was surprisingly named on the wing for the Cowboys’ first two games. Rather than add to his 93 career games, Hampton is now armed with a training plan and kitted out with gym equipment from Cowboys HQ to ensure he gives himself the best chance possible to hit the 100-game milestone should the competition return.
The plan features a mix of gym work and fitness, which under government restrictions will mostly be carried out by himself.
“There’s really not much anyone can do,” Hampton said. “It’s just another challenge.”