No sleep in for Rhinos during rainy spell

Sabah players have been placed under “curfew” as they prepare for the restart of the Super League.

There will be no more late nights as the Rhinos have to hit the sack early as they have to get ready for training.

Their preparations have hit a snag as the state has been inundated with heavy evening downpour in the last couple of days.

Their Indonesian coach Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto has opted for Plan B and all training sessions are now held in the mornings.

“We now start training at 7am with three sessions to limit the number of players on the pitch,” said Kurniawan.

“They have shown tremendous enthusiasm which is not surprising as they have not been training for more than three months.

“During that time, we don’t know their sleeping habits so this rainy season gives us the chance to get them to sleep early. This is kind of a reset to their sleeping pattern.

“For a professional player, discipline is key and so far the players have been very committed with the plans we have formulated for them. It’s still early days but they are getting closer to recapture their form.”

Kurniawan added that the proposal by the Youth and Sports Ministry to allow full contact training on July 9 is much awaited.

“It’s a matter of time before we go into full training,” he added. “It’s fine for now as most teams are focusing on the players’ physical condition.

“Football is a contact sport and we will have to do full training and also play some friendlies before the league starts.”