Ben’s happy to show young guns the way
COWBOYS’ utility Ben Hampton returned to full contact training this week for the first time since rupturing his bicep last season.
And the toughness of each session is not wasted on the 27year-old.
Training in the sweltering heat this week, the Mareeba product was one of a group of players who shed more than 3kg in one session.
But it is more than just the physical toll a tough pre-season can take.
Hampton knows of the mental struggles that players face getting through the hard yards. And with the North Queensland heat bearing down on their group, there are not many yards harder than the ones the Cowboys run.
It is one reason the former Storm player is paying close attention to the young crop coming through, and is constantly joking around with the rest of the squad.
“I have knocked a couple over now, so you almost know what to expect. It is always a tough time of year on the body and mentally,” Hampton said.
“I have been doing my best to keep everyone up and in a good mood. I am definitely helping the young fellas along. I remember the first two or three pre-seasons when I was younger, they were the toughest years I have ever done..”
Hampton came into the NRL under one of the toughest club bosses, Craig Bellamy, but he said there were no favours handed out by Cowboys coach Paul Green either.
“Bellamy was pretty tough. You have got to be. Greeny is the same. You have got to be hard on your players, that is how you get the best out of them,” he said. “Pre-season is always tough no matter where you are. Maybe it is a little bit tougher up here dealing with the heat, but it is going to be tough no matter where you are. They have been running us really hard but it has been good.”
The extra work on the field has Hampton believing the club is ahead of schedule in their preparations for next season. They have gone past the drills they were doing in the same time last season.
It is something the utility attributes to the physical shape players returned to pre-season in and the work they did in the off-season. Young guns like Peter Hola and dummy-half recruit Reece Robson have hit the ground running to start the gruelling training period and it has not gone unnoticed by the 91-game veteran.
“We have been going so good as a group. Everyone has been ripping in and doing the hard yards,” Hampton said.
“The young guys, I think they are the best we have had in a number of years.”