WITH the NRL finals set to come to an end in the next fortnight, Kristian Woolf’s side is set to have three weeks to prepare for the Test series against England next month.
The NRL’s Grand Final is slated for Sunday, October 1 – exactly three weeks before Kristian Woolf’s side will run onto the pitch against England at Totally Wicked Stadium.
With the Super League Grand Final scheduled just one week prior on Saturday, October 14, Tonga will have the advantage of a well-rested squad and time to work on their combinations.
The test will be whether the players who did not play finals football can maintain their fitness during the break.
Tongan coach Kristian Woolf says it’s a challenge they will have to manage.
“We’ve got a number of guys who have finished playing and we’ve got some others still playing, which is obviously great in terms of match fitness,” he said.
“At the moment we are relying on the players to look after themselves and make sure that they keep themselves fit and it’s also important that they have a break as well, to freshen up physically and mentally after a challenging season.”
Woolf said his side would get together a few days prior to departing Australia to prepare.
“We’ll see where players are at fitness wise and we want to reintroduce a bit of running and a bit of contact,” he said.
“We need to make sure blokes are in the condition that we need them to be in, to know that when we jump on that plane and get to England that we’re coming to do our best for all three games.
“It’s a very historic series for us, one we’re looking forward to and we see it as another important chapter in our history.”
While players like Felise Kaufusi and Jason Taumalolo will have not played a game in over seven weeks, Woolf believes his players will stay fit.
“We’ll trust the players to look after themselves well and that it means a lot to them and that they’ll come over in good condition.”
