Tiatia On Pre-season

TIATIA ON PRE-SEASON

With pre-season training underway, Filo Tiatia has been reflecting on what he says he expects will be his last ever pre-season as a player.

The 38 year-old former All-Black, who arrived in Ospreylia three years ago and has 74 regional appearances to his credit to date, now combines his duties as a senior player with a coaching role looking after the tackle and contact area, and he says that although pre-season doesn't get any easier, the importance of hard work over the next few months can't be underestimated:

"It's the hardest part of the year for a player, there's no hiding place for anyone, but what you can't get away from is the fact that it's a really important period, it's where you get your core fitness work done. Mark Bennett and Alex Lawson have been planning for pre-season for some time and the first day has been about individual testing to make sure that the players spend the next few months working on the areas of their individual fitness that need attention.

"I've got twenty pre-seasons under my belt now, and this one will definitely be my last. I've always tried to enjoy it, but this year, this will be even more so as I want to make the most of every experience as a player before I finish, you're a long time retired. I'm going to make sure that I savour the experience and the fellowship of being a player over the period as this time next year all I'll have left is the memories and I don't want to have any regrets or to be thinking that I didn't give it my all in the last year."

With his added coaching responsibilities, Tiatia admits that there has to be a change of focus for him this pre-season, as he has to combine his own fitness work with his new role. However, he says that the support he has from his fellow coaches will ensure that he is able to meet his new challenges head on. He added:

"It's a bit strange for me this year as I won't only be focussing on my own pre-season fitness, as the training kicks on I'll also have coaching responsibilities as well. Obviously, I was offered the role during mid season when it was just a case of picking up the duties and running with it, so to be part of pre-season planning, and working out what we want to do during the course of the season is all a new experience for me. There'll be challenges and pitfalls along the way that I'll have to face up to, but I'm fortunate to be working with quality, experienced coaches who are aware of what's going on around them so I'm sure they'll help me, and have me up for the challenges."