Greg Eden hopes he’s found the secret to ageing well as a Rugby League star – lots of water!
The 31-year-old last week signed a new contract extension to stay at hometown club Castleford Tigers next year, with an option to extend for the 2024 season as well.
It comes as a relief for Eden, who last year was worried his career might soon be over.
On Saturday he celebrated by laying on Castleford’s first two tries for Derrell Olpherts while playing in his unaccustomed position of stand-off half.
“With the injuries I had last year, I didn’t know how long I had left in my body,” said Eden.
“I had three hamstring injuries; whether that was just coincidence or what I don’t know, but this year I seem to have got things right with the conditioning staff.
“When you get to 30, you think ‘how long have I got left in my body?’ Being a winger as well, you need your speed to be able to play.
“This year with different training and conditioning I’ve got in, my body feels good and I’m just hoping I can get through a year without a major injury.”
Eden believes one of the best changes he has made this season is taking in far more liquid.
“I’ve taken a big insight into drinking lots of water,” he explained.
“I don’t know if I did that enough, I never really thought about it until I started getting those injuries. I wondered whether it was because I wasn’t hydrated enough.
“You’d never see me carry a water bottle around. Now I’ve always got one at training and I make sure I’m drinking two or three litres a day.
“I don’t know if that’s the secret, but it’s helped so far.
“My diet’s always pretty good. There’s a lot of recovery as well.
“Now I’m getting to this age I’m taking a bit more care in my recovery, getting ice baths just to give me that extra edge.”
The above content is also available in the regular weekly edition of League Express, on newsstands every Monday in the UK and as a digital download. Click here for more details.