Brisbane Roar players will have only a little chance for off-season rest and relaxation with coaching staff handing out holiday homework designed to send the club to the top of the table next season.
As the season-s end officially draws near, Brisbane-s coaches have delivered the squad individual training programs in preparation for pre-season training.
Roar assistant coach Ken Stead said the off-season programs will have the players in perfect condition to hit the ground running come the first day of the new season.
“(Next pre-season) will be one of the smartest ones … there will be a lot of thought going into it,” Stead said.
“Basically the guys will be given a program to go away with, so when they come back we know exactly where they-re at.
“It-s so we don-t hit the pre-season with any problems.”
The off-season programs follow rigorous testing this week where players were examined in the departments of speed, power, endurance and strength.
Stead said the data collected from the tests was a new and unique source of information.
“We don-t have too much data on the players,” he said. “So for (Roar physiotherapist) Tim Oostenbroek and myself it-s a starting point.
“We find out where the guys are at and find out where we need to go.”
The programs are another example of the Roar coaching staff – led by Ange Postecoglou – leaving no stone unturned as they plan next season-s title bid.
Stead said the positive outlook at the end of a torrid season was beginning to usher a change of culture in the dressing-room and on the field.
“We are trying to change the culture in terms of education with the guys,” he said. “We are trying to explain things in football terms.
“So it-s not just running for the sake of running … there is a lot of thinking in it as well.”
