Church warns Hunters

Coach: We are not going to Australia for a holiday

By PARKER TAMBUA
COACH Matthew Church has warned his SP Hunters that their relocation to Australia should not be seen as a holiday as they prepare for a gruelling season in the Queensland Intrust Super Cup.
He warned against alcohol consumption and excessive eating before releasing his player for the Christmas break. The Hunters will re-assemble on Sunday before resuming pre-season training on Monday.
Church said the second phase of the pre-season would be more intense.
“We want you (players) to enjoy yourself over the Christmas break but do everything in moderation, especially alcohol and food,” he said.
“We want to make sure everyone understands that we still have a lot of work to do and we don’t want to use the relocation as an excuse to fall back on.
“I want to challenge them (players) that when they come back, they must be fit and healthy.
“We did tests on them before they were sent home and we will test them when they come back into camp.
“They must know that whatever they do in the dark will always come to light.”
The Australian said he wanted the Hunters to hit the ground running as soon as they returned to training. Meanwhile, Church said the Hunters would put more effort into quick turnarounds and short sprints for the remainder of the pre-season.