The NSW Origin squad will have its final hit-out on Sunday morning against a combined Group 3 representative side in what is set to be the most intense session of their build-up.
The training sessions have been building in intensity through the week but after the opposed session against a side drawn from the NSW north coast's best local talent, it backs off a bit. The Blues will have Monday off and then have only the half-hour captain's run left on the Tuesday, according to NSW vice captain Robbie Farah.
"We've got to make sure everything is spot on and we go up to Brisbane feeling nice and confident and comfortable with what we're doing," Farah said.
"Our prep so far has been great. We’ve been building every session, getting better and better and the boys are feeling really comfortable out there.
Farah was appreciative of the dedicated facilities in Coffs Harbour, which he said had boosted the side's preparation.
"The biggest change is that we are using facilities that are for us. Coogee was great but we were using a cricket oval to train on and a public gym. It hasn’t been our sort of space. This is our space. That’s been a massive advantage," he said.
Blues second-rower Ryan Hoffman was equally complimentary of the Coffs Harbour retreat.
"Coming up here has been fantastic. Coogee was great but it was a convenient place," he said.
"It (Coogee) was convenient for managers to come in, it was a convenient place to stay with all your friends and all that sort of stuff but up here we're enjoying each other's company and there's no distractions.
"When we've got on the paddock we've been spending a lot of time enjoying each other's company without worrying about outside factors."
He said the coaching staff had left no stone unturned in preparing the squad as best as they possibly could – placing responsibility for performance squarely on the players.
"They've given us every opportunity physically but it's also great knowing the amount of work that NSW is going to to give us the best chance of winning, and as a player knowing you've got that support it also puts the responsibility back on you," he said.
"We're going to be prepared as best as possible, so it's up to the individual to make sure they're preparing themselves for the game."
He said the level of sports science going into the preparation had increased compared to previous years and was now comparable to what happens at most clubs.
"NSW have had their review and realised a lot of this stuff was happening in the clubs, why couldn't it happen at the State of Origin level?" he said.
"It's been great that they've brought it in and certainly all the players have bought into what they're trying to implement here and like I said it's given us a great chance to get the result we want on Wednesday."
The training sessions have been building in intensity through the week but after the opposed session against a side drawn from the NSW north coast's best local talent, it backs off a bit. The Blues will have Monday off and then have only the half-hour captain's run left on the Tuesday, according to NSW vice captain Robbie Farah.
"We've got to make sure everything is spot on and we go up to Brisbane feeling nice and confident and comfortable with what we're doing," Farah said.
"Our prep so far has been great. We’ve been building every session, getting better and better and the boys are feeling really comfortable out there.
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Farah was appreciative of the dedicated facilities in Coffs Harbour, which he said had boosted the side's preparation.
"The biggest change is that we are using facilities that are for us. Coogee was great but we were using a cricket oval to train on and a public gym. It hasn’t been our sort of space. This is our space. That’s been a massive advantage," he said.
Blues second-rower Ryan Hoffman was equally complimentary of the Coffs Harbour retreat.
"Coming up here has been fantastic. Coogee was great but it was a convenient place," he said.
"It (Coogee) was convenient for managers to come in, it was a convenient place to stay with all your friends and all that sort of stuff but up here we're enjoying each other's company and there's no distractions.
"When we've got on the paddock we've been spending a lot of time enjoying each other's company without worrying about outside factors."
He said the coaching staff had left no stone unturned in preparing the squad as best as they possibly could – placing responsibility for performance squarely on the players.
"They've given us every opportunity physically but it's also great knowing the amount of work that NSW is going to to give us the best chance of winning, and as a player knowing you've got that support it also puts the responsibility back on you," he said.
"We're going to be prepared as best as possible, so it's up to the individual to make sure they're preparing themselves for the game."
He said the level of sports science going into the preparation had increased compared to previous years and was now comparable to what happens at most clubs.
"NSW have had their review and realised a lot of this stuff was happening in the clubs, why couldn't it happen at the State of Origin level?" he said.
"It's been great that they've brought it in and certainly all the players have bought into what they're trying to implement here and like I said it's given us a great chance to get the result we want on Wednesday."
