KNIGHTS coach Adam O'Brien is confident the commitment his players have shown during the coronavirus hiatus will pay dividends at the business end of the NRL season.
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Newcastle and the remaining 15 NRL clubs were back in training on Wednesday for the first time since the competition was suspended on March 23, albeit with restrictions in place to prevent body contact or groups of more than 10.
O'Brien said "it was footy training, but it wasn't footy training" and added he would need to be patient in the next three weeks before the season's planned resumption on May 28.
"We got a little bit of conditioning work done, and we got the footy back in their hands," he said.
"There was a little bit of rust there, but you'd expect that. But like I said to the players, once the rust is gone, it's gone.
"I expect them tomorrow to be a little bit better with the ball, but in terms of their physical condition, I'm really, really happy with them."
A protege of Melbourne's master coach Craig Bellamy, O'Brien is a firm believer in the theory that the platform for end-of-season success is laid long before a ball has been kicked.
"To give yourself every chance, you need a really, really strong pre-season," he said.
"We've got that base. I know that there's been six weeks apart, but the guys' application in the last six weeks - and I could tell from their running today - that's going to lay a real foundation that we can draw on late in the year.
"Especially in those games when there's scoreboard pressure and result pressure late in the year, the old saying is you sink to the level of your training.
"So I place a huge importance on it.
"I don't think we're a team that can build as the season goes on. We need to hit the ground running and I think the guys understand that."
O'Brien said this season would present unique challenges for all teams, including the likelihood of playing many games without crowds, but the Knights intend to be "adaptive" and cope with any adversity.
"I'm not going to lie and say it's going to be easy, but nothing in this has been comfortable," he said.
"The team that adapts and handles all scenarios, including having no crowds there, well whoever handles that the best gives themselves the best chance to be standing on that platform at the end of the season."
He said rugby league players should regard it as a "badge of honour" that their sport will be the first in Australia to resume.
"Our obligations are clear," he said. "We've had the protocol meetings. We've had the Zoom meetings. We've spoken about how there's a higher purpose to this than ourselves.
"There'll be a lot of industries that will be looking to us to do this really well, and it may change their predicament. They may get to come to work a little bit earlier.
"We understand the importance that where we sit in the community, we can change a lot for a lot of people.
"We can bring some happiness with the way we play, but we can also set an example and show that we can get through this, if you stick to the protocols."
The guys' application in the last six weeks ... that's going to lay a real foundation that we can draw on late in the year.
ADAM O'BRIEN
"They are vital to our game. We would love to have them back, but that's not the card that's been dealt at the moment."
