Head of Athletic Performance Jason Davidson has put in a lot of work in the build up to the trip to make sure it goes as smoothly as possible and he joins the team along with skipper Kevin Sinfield at Manchester Airport. The trip gets off to a good start with an on time departure and arrival and head off from Faro straight to the training base for the next five days.
The facilities are ideal for a training camp with the lush, green training pitch opposite the players accomodation and the gym and pool just behind that. The players have been divided into rooms of three or four with young and old players mixed in together. After unpacking the players go through some exercises with Head Physio Andy Barker to get the journey out of their legs before a dip in the pool with Assistant Conditioner Richard Hunwicks. Whilst that might sound like relaxation, it was far from it! By this stage it was 5.30pm, departures were beginning to dip and the pool wasn't heated so effectively it was the players usual ice bath treatment. JP was the first to jump in and seemed to enjoy the pain of the freezing water whilst there were a few yelps from others. However, recovery complete, all the players headed in for their evening meal.
Davidson and Head Coach Brian McDermott held a brief meeting after dinner setting out the plans for the week and restating the needs to make the use of the camp ahead of the start of a big season. Then it was an early night, a chance to watch Match of the Day on TV and sleep ahead of the start of a busy week.
