14 MAR-24: NORTHS ACADEMY THAT’S A WRAP
On behalf of the NSJRU Executive Committee I would like to *thank all the players, parents and coaches for their support of Season 2024’s NSJRU Academy*.
We had an incredible turnout and were very fortunate to have *special guests* join us during the program – from *Andrew Cleverley (Talent Identification Manager at NSW Waratahs)* to *Nathan Grey (Head Coach of the U20 Wallabies and National Academy)* and *Zak Beer (Head Coach of Northern Suburbs Rugby Club)* – as well as current and former 1st grade players coaching our players over the weeks.
With the emphasis on skills and fitness over the 6 weeks, *we hope players have taken their game to the next level as they prepare for their club rugby and school rugby trials in the weeks ahead*.
*Three take-outs* from our guests that we want to stay front of mind for our players during the season are:
• *Coachability* – listen to feedback from the coaches; take advice on board; and do your best to implement the learnings provided into your game through repetition and plenty of extra practice
• *Speed* – do things fast: if you make a tackle, get to your feet fast; if you are tackled, get to your feet fast; find that extra effort when you are needed to get to a breakdown, make a cover tackle or in support play…speed, speed, speed.
• *Nutrition* – stay hydrated; eat your fruit and vegetables each day; and for the older players, if they are taking protein, spread it out over the day vs having it all in one meal.
*A shout out to Mike Cross and his Try Time team* for the program they built over the 6 weeks and a special *thank you to Drummoyne Dirty Reds Junior Rugby Club and its volunteers* who hosted us each week at Taplin Park.
This week’s *latest Academy video* can be found on our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/reel
*Follow us* and stay up to date with the *latest Norths Juniors news and highlights*.
We hope the players enjoyed the program and improved their skills and fitness over the 6 weeks. If you have any *questions or feedback*, please don’t hesitate in reaching out to *Ben Richards (vp@nsjru.com.au)* as we strive to make our Academy program even better in 2025.
With the SJRU season about to kick-off, *we wish all our Norths Juniors’ players all the best for the season ahead* and we look forward to welcoming many of you to our *representative trials in April*.
*Keep up to date with the latest rep trial news by joining our NSJRU Reps 2024 WhatsApp chat group*: https://chat.whatsapp.com/JhWX
Cheers,
Nathan
President
Northern Suburbs Junior Rugby Union