Just had a nosey at [url=http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/sport/story/ox-tipped-to-tame-rhinos/this[/url and spotted this quote:




Anybody noted any loss of 'size' on these two? Any lack of strength in their play? I remember last year when Hicks took Bennett (was it?) against Saints on his own, it was an awesome show of strength, I hope it's just a loss of size and not actual strength.

Anybody picked up on this?

swapped the bone and muscle regime for the fags and beer one

And I thought this was going to be about their daft haircuts

It just surprised me. Monaghan is quite a big lad for his size, his arms are big. Considering most were saying they'd expect Halmshaw to have us beefed up and ripped, I'm surprised for people to say they've lost a bit on upper body.

That was first comment from seeing pictures of Higham wasn't it on here?

Its very clear to see both of them have trimmed down.

Hicks was the top bencher when he was at Manly, he had freakishly strong upper body strengh, as did Monaghan. I'm not saying they still don't. But it is very noticeable that they have both lost alot of muscle.

I remember reading about that, and that fact that he could run 100m in 10.76 seconds, which he clearly can't now, unless Halley is Ato Boldon.

How do we see this? Positive, negative or a mix? Will this have effected their game at all? I wouldn't for one moment question their commitment in training, so I'm guessing it's down to the coaching that they've sized down.

For me it just backs up my claim that the fitness and conditioning coach's are garbage and/or that it seems both players have fallen foul to the Lee Briers of the pitch training routine.

So did I actually

Manly as a club are leading examples of Sport Science and Anatomy and Physiology in Rugby League, though. There are few, if any, coaches who are as thorough with the Sport Science side of training and preperation than Des Hasler, so it only makes sense that they would suffer from some degree of Muscular Atrophy since dropping down in (at least weight) training intensity levels.

Enough to surprise the Manly side, though?

Sorry but I thought Monas in particular looked well toned and clearly had spent most of the off season 'down t'gym'. Take a look at the squad pics on the Wolves site. Both look like they have plenty of upper body tone.

Get you! Leeds Trinity would be so proud.

Get you! Leeds Trinity will be so proud.

When you don't see someone for an extended peroid of time, you notice differences more than you would if you saw them day in, day out, especially subtle changes that happen over time. Atrophy occurs over peroids of reduced activity, and often quite subtly. I'm sure if someone compared pictures from Hicks in his Manly days to Hicks on Friday, if there are any changes, they'd be noticed.

I see.


You mentioned sports science earlier, I know you said in rugby, but is there no way we could maybe exercise our relationship with Liverpool and maybe take some tips on fitness from them? I know it's a completely different sport, but I do remember Craig Bellamy meeting with Rafa when he came over last year, and I'm sure they would have brought something along these lines up.

:2myn8etq:2myn8etq
:2myn8etq

Definetily look slighter now.

I don't think they look any different



Hicks looks a little slimmer in the face but that's it.

Oh, n Monaghan now looks like Chuck Norris.

TBH, just looking at the way Liverpool seem to have capitulated this season, whoever they have in place from the world of Sport Science doesn't seem up to the [itop[/i level. They seem to have peaked far too soon. Just using my own learnings here; when doing Macrocycles (Basically a yearly overview of an athlete/team's training), Alex Ferguson was referenced and singled out for being on the ball, so to speak, in that United's Sport Science department is world class (you get what you can pay for, I guess) and that they prepare the squad to be peaking at exactly the right time of the season, which is usually circa March-May, for all the finals they'd be hoping to be involved with and the last few games of the Premier League season. Since that case study, I followed United's progression this season quite closely and noted a sharp increase in performance (and apparent fitness) since Christmas and upon reflection it doesn't look like a coincidence. If you think of it as a bit of a graph, they are on an upward curve at the moment, looking to be in peak condition and performance in time for (hopefully for them) The FA Cup and Champions' League Finals.

I suppose we could always hope that Jimmy Lowes and 'his mate from t'gym' have devised a similar macrocycle for the Warrington squad and that we will in fact peak in time for October, but the players' body language seems to suggest otherwise.

Getting back to the pics Wirefan put up of Hicks and Monas, they do seem to have lost a lot of defination - Monas looks quite pasty and skinny on his pen pic and their shoulders don't appear as broard. Now, I'm not just jumping on a bandwagon, I pointed it out a while ago, but it seems to be a bit of a Warrington trait - anyone remember Martin Gleeson's physique when he was unveiled at the HJ against Salford in 2004? Within two seasons, he'd appeared to have lost muscle mass and spread a little bit around the belly.

The irony is that Stevo described Hicks as a 'big unit' in the commentary for Friday's game. The man has lost the plot

I blame their growing of beards - get the razors out!

Trouble is he now plays rugby like Chuck Norris as well.

Chuck Norris can play halfback and fullback at the same time. Nothing gets past Chuck.