Cutters Begin Year with Boot Camp

YOU do it tough in boot camp, as the Mackay Cutters learnt at the weekend.

After a relaxing few weeks away from pre-season training for Christmas-New Year, the STM Cutters returned to the reality of preparing for the Queensland Cup – at the mercy of a military instructor at Rowallan Park.

On Saturday the squad was tested to the limit as players broke into four groups, battling to carry out tasks in a set time.

They had to carry logs, manhandle huge truck tyres, carry heavily laden stretchers and piggy-back team-mates over more than 100 metres.

Despite their best efforts, they didn’t make time – and were then forced into an even more testing “crocodile crawl” over more than 100m, on hands and toes.

Early yesterday morning they found themselves in a small stream at the scouting ground, doing push-ups in the water while blindfolded by duct-taped goggles.

The camp was rounded out by a training run at the JRL grounds on Friday night and an opposed session yesterday.

Coach Paul Bramley said it was the toughest camp he had been involved in. It tested many of the squad to the limit and was worthwhile.

“We got a lot of unity out of it,” he said.

“In three days we had to learn to trust one another.

“The boys were pushed to breaking point, but they all learnt a lot of respect for each other and what we are trying to achieve.”

Unlike the infamous 1999 New South Wales State of Origin camp, at which Robbie Kearns and Bradley Clyde were injured falling off horses, there were no injuries, although some probably wished they were elsewhere.

“There was not one that you could say didn’t make it,” Bramley said.

“They all played their role. There were some who showed they are leaders, but at the end of the day all the guys came out of their shells and contributed.”