Fittler takes Blues back to the beach
MOBILE phone bans. A training run on the Sydney Cricket Ground. Staying in rooms with ocean views. Eliminating long bus rides to the game. It’s all part of Brad Fittler’s plans to shake up State of Origin preparations as the Blues look to again base themselves in Coogee for this year’s series.
Fittler has wasted no time in putting his stamp on the Blues, overhauling the way his side will ready itself for the interstate series and scoring an early win against the Maroons in the process. After using numerous locations – including Coffs Harbour, Kingscliff and The Star casino – in recent campaigns, Fittler’s team will go back to its roots by basing itself predominantly at Coogee, a home base that has previously been used by successful NSW sides.
‘‘You’ve got the beach, you’ve got the field down the road, you’ve got a little grass area,’’ Fittler said. ‘‘For what I do now and how I want to coach a team, it’s got everything I need. It’s probably one of the better places in the world, Coogee. I’m not sure why we left.’’
The opening game of the 2018 series is four months away, but Fittler is already strategising for the Melbourne encounter. In a bid to prepare his side for the unfamiliar experience of playing at the oval-shaped MCG, the NSWRL is poised to ask the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust for a training run on the SCG.
‘‘The reason we want to do that is our players don’t often get access to playing on an oval, with so many rectangular grounds,’’ explained NSWRL chief executive David Trodden.
The Blues have already struck an early blow against the Queenslanders in the accommodation stakes, getting in early to book the Pullman on the Park hotel in Melbourne from Sunday, just across the road from the MCG. The Maroons had previously stayed there and attempted to do so again, but were beaten to the punch.
‘‘If you’re playing a game at the MCG as an out-of-towner, the place you want to stay is there,’’ Trodden said. ‘‘The last time we played in Melbourne it took the team an hour and a half to get to the ground.
‘‘The guys got caught in traffic and the last thing you want before a big game is for the boys to be on a bus for that long.’’
Previous Blues campaigns have been plagued by unnecessary distractions. Fittler has indicated any off-contract NSW candidates playing out their futures in public will not be considered. Mobile phones will also be banned at various times during the camp to block outside noise and to encourage better bonding with teammates.
‘‘Mobile phones will be barred in team situations,’’ Trodden said. ‘‘We don’t want any distractions.’’
Preparations for the Queensland leg of the series have also been overhauled.
In keeping with the desire to provide players with more privacy and open space, the Blues will trade the Sofitel for a hotel along the river with open gardens. Like Coogee, the move is in keeping with Fittler’s philosophy of providing the players with a fresh environment.
‘‘He wants the players to know that when they come into camp, they are coming into something quite different from the way it’s been,’’ Trodden said.
‘‘There was a feeling in previous years that we would keep them away from the distractions of Sydney for the preparation. One of Freddy’s views is that he wants players that are able to deal with those distractions.
‘‘If they can’t deal with the distractions that come in Sydney, we haven’t got the right players.
‘‘At Coogee, he wants all of the players to be in rooms that have ocean views. Coogee appeals to him because there’s the proximity to the fresh air and sea breezes.’’ The Sun-Herald