What Truly Occurs at NRL Training Sessions: Nudie Runs, Sleep Deprivation and Chilli Eating
Clubs across the National
Rugby League (
NRL) continue to grapple with the challenge of instilling discipline among team members. Traditional financial penalties remain common, yet a range of other punitive measures have emerged; methods varying from club to club, aimed at making an indelible impact beyond merely denting the wallet.
News this week of a $4 million claim launched by lawyers representing
Jackson Topine, a former player with the
Canterbury Bulldogs, has ignited fresh discussion about the ways in which clubs enforce discipline. Allegedly, Topine had been made to wrestle between 30-35 teammates as a disciplinary measure following his late arrival for training; a sanction, however, that Canterbury and head trainer Travis Touma have not yet responded to in defence.
The nature of this claim has raised pertinent inquiries about the ways clubs within the
NRL discipline players for falling short of team expectations. This method of personal responsibility, especially for individual players letting down team morale, has been a long-standing fixture within the professional
rugby league‘s culture.
Several current and former players have – under the cloak of anonymity – admitted that such disciplinary measures are widespread throughout the league, albeit in different forms. For instance, one club may require a latecomer to run naked through a gauntlet of his teammates, receiving a series of slaps and spanks. Conversely, another latecomer may be made to clean the gear stewards’ van or eat hot chilli peppers.
Non-physical punishments have also proven popular, with players being made to shave heads, dye hair or wear a suit to training every day. A particular club even insists offending players prepare a PowerPoint presentation on a random topic and present it to teammates.
Nevertheless, punishments are not solely the responsibility of the coach. In one scenario, a former club chief executive enforced attendance for morning training sessions at 6am for three young players after catching wind that they had been escorted home intoxicated from their leagues club.
A player claimed to have often observed teammates wrestling the entire ensemble, as Topine was reportedly required to do at the
Bulldogs. Anonumous insiders at the
Bulldogs assert that it was the first time such a punishment was enforced on a teammate at their club.
However, they noted the same disciplinary methods were issued to another latecoming player a week after Topine’s alleged sanction.
Braidon Burns, the player in question – who now plays for
South Sydney – told
Bulldogs personnel at the time that he had no issue wrestling the rest of the team due to tardiness and didn’t anticipate any disparity between his treatment and Topine’s actions.
While Burns has declined to comment as yet, another previous Canterbury player commented that wrestling a dozen or so teammates as a disciplinary act is fairly common and goes by the name of “shark bait” amongst
rugby league fraternity. “Shark bait” refers to an encircled player wrestling colleagues until one of them submits.
In fact, he cited that the drill was prevalent in many clubs and is usually considered mild compared to what cliques were subjected to in pre-season training sessions, which often resembled military-style camps, replete with extreme exercises and limited sleep over a three-day period.
Many remembered being awakened at ungodly hours to carry out punishing physical chores, fuelled on a stringent diet. They would be subjected to stressful scenarios – ranging from struggling against ocean waves blindfolded before finding their own way back on land to simple yet maddening tasks such as segregating white rice grains from brown ones under the sensory decimation of loud, heavy metal music.
Each, even the blindfolded cliff walk with blackout goggles or holding heavy jerry cans for five-kilometre walks often enough to chaff palms, are choreographed to induce duress, testing the physical and mental resolve of players.
Anthony Seibold, present coach for Manly, recognised the difficulty of the army camp his team had experienced recently. “They were sleep-deprived, they were gassed [exhausted], it was relentless,” was how he described it in January. He asserted that the purpose was to push their physical and mental limits til exhaustion because “you don’t know how you’re going to respond until you try it.”
The reasoning behind such intense training and stern discipline was to foster a team spirit and observe individual responses during high-pressure situations. Players are pushed to near breaking points, tested for resilience and ability to perform under extremes. They also advocate the bonding element of collective struggles.
Zane Tetevano, a forward for the
Penrith Panthers, mentioned how the bonding experience at a pre-season army camp was crucial in propelling the
Panthers toward a
Grand Final, however losing 26-20 to the
Melbourne Storm. The following year, Penrith decided to embark on a tougher path; they conducted a “fight camp” on Hawkesbury River, where players endured rigorous physical training over three days, including sparring sessions with boxers and martial artists.
This physical and mental balance, on and off the field was deemed a “fine line” by
Roosters coach,
Trent Robinson. He noted the importance of striking a balance between pushing players to their best while caring for their well-being.
