Fremantle rounded out a blistering week on the track with a gruelling running session in Kings Park, but it was about more than just putting the group through another fitness challenge, according to midfielder Blake Acres.
The temperature has reached more than 40 degrees since Tuesday and Fremantle added the running session to their main sessions on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Acres said the running session was to help the group with their running mechanics, with the steep hills in Kings Park helping the players have a different point of contact to the ground.
We get our main sessions in on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and then sometimes come to Kings Park and do the hills. It’s more like a technique thing and helping us build durable bodies for the season,” Acres said.
“That’s the science behind the hills, it helps your speed and your hammies get a lot stronger. It’s been a big focus for the group, trying to get a lot more high-end stuff in. It’s been a good part of this pre-season, that we’ve been doing this work.”
Acres said seeing the players handle the heavy schedule in the heat showed where the group was at physically.
“I think they ramped it up again this week, we’re hitting some big numbers on the track,” Acres said.
“It does get tough, you feel like you’re out there all day but I think they boys are conditioned, they’re pulling up well and were able to run today after doing a big session yesterday, that shows where the boys are at.”
Acres is pushing himself this pre-season to lock in a role on the wing and has been working alongside Darcy Tucker, who praised Acres’ work this summer in a media conference on Friday.
“I did a lot of work with Darcy over the break, I feel like we’ve both came back in good nick and we’re pretty committed to having a good year this year,” Acres said.
“Darcy’s been huge, especially this week. He’s dominated in our match sims.
“I’m trying to bring that speed into my game and just being able to run as much as I can in games, to help free up some backs when I need to and get forward when I need to. Just keep bringing that run each week and make it a big strength of mine.”
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