Quite interesting when he talks about the juggling and the 06:00 starts; but it's clear that he valued the 1:1 input. An insight into the dichotomy of Smith - weird and brilliant at the same time.

But maybe the 6am starts and the fact that they were buggered is the reason the team look extra fit (compared with past seasons) and appears to be well conditioned injury wise?

Yeah the players probably hated it but it has actually done them all some good?

Could very well be, it was just how Tom spoke about it I didn't get that vibe. Maybe I just interpreted it the wrong way.

There can't be many people who relish the thought of getting out of bed at half five for work. Sometimes needs must, at least rugby players know it's hopefully only a short term measure.

My son gets out of bed every morning at 5.00 Monday to Friday for work.The plus side is when he finishes on Friday evening , that's it 'till Monday. Swings and roundabouts/nothing perfect etc.

I really hope CC looks very closely at what BS did close season. He doesn’t need to copy it verbatim, what he needs to do is create a more friendly less obviously intense version. Still tougher than the rest of SL but a slightly later start etc, let the players think they have gained a little. It needs to be slightly less tough, a bit more tough with love.

As for BS and the juggling, there you see the brilliance of the man, you can’t fail to see the reasoning even if it appears eccentric at times. Again CC needs to take the bones of this idea and run with it.

I always remember Solomona crediting his ball handling skills to playing basket ball as a teenager. Why not create an indoor hybrid version of the two sports and get the players to play it for fun in their wind down time after the main training. Create four teams and put up a trophy and a prize and make it competitive but safe, players love that kind of thing.

Linford Christie was a very fast runner but still needed a coach even after he’d won an Olympic Gold. So why are Johnstone and Jowitt any different? We don’t need a full time sprint coach just someone to join us for a few weeks and teach the lads technique and training methods. Sure there will be a few sprint coaches with empty diaries after the Olympics.

They are only little things but in this game you need every edge you can get and odd though he was Smith knew this and I hope Chester has it in him to break out and do it different rather than doing the standard SL second rate copy of an Aussie Coach.

Really, how do you know that?

It was perhaps the most unnecessarily strict and punitive preseason that wasn't enjoyed or particularly valued by the players, especially those who were singled out for humiliation.

If Chris Chester has brought anything to the club it's relief!

Pre season training is supposed to be unpleasant and demanding, until you get back up to that level of fitness.
Pre season in the middle of winter, may as well be training at 6 in the morning, at least you get to knock off when there's still a bit of daylight!
The biggest step forward the club has made in the last 30 years, was the decision not to play Smith and Locke in the Million Pound game.
Decisions like this help to put professionalism back into the club and set the right example to players at the club and players coming in.

Didn't even Tom say pre season was helpful and the players seem to be the fittest they have been for a while .

To be honest, I arrived at that conclusion from the interviews & general vibe emitting from the club pre season. I don't pretend to have any inside knowledge which you appear to have but I would be interested to hear as I'm sure others would as to what occurred during these pre season training sessions. No need to name any players & cause any further embarrassment.

Brian smith's structures that he will have brought in will be the same as he used at the roosters 5 years ago. Though that seems a while ago they will be still light years ahead of alot SL structures due to the NRL's superior methods which has recently being shown in the world club challenges. His man management though has for years been shocking, especially players who are out of favour. I remember reading a column regarding Hindmarsh's time at Parramatta in which and still will be regarded as one of the best defensive forwards in rugby league history, everyone knows his freakish defensive abilities to read plays. Basically Smith got all the Parramatta team in to do video analysis and ostracised certain players saying "why can't you be like Nathan" with Hindmarsh saying he felt very uncomfortable and put strain amongst the team.

So can you put any meat on the bones, I for one would be interested to a bit of background as to what the players disliked about BS training methods.