Wallaroos camp a building block for success

Tue, Sep 1, 2015, 2:00 AM
AAP
by AAP
Wallaroos soar at Bond University on the Gold Coast. Photo: ARU Media
Wallaroos soar at Bond University on the Gold Coast. Photo: ARU Media

The Wallaroos have completed an intense high performance training camp at Bond University on the Gold Coast with Head Coach Paul Verrell seeing some solid signs of improvement from the Australian players.

With a squad of 40 at his disposal, Verrell was able to test out the depth of the squad and unearth some potential new talent coming through the ranks with the Women’s Rugby World Cup looming on the horizon in 2017.

“It was very positive. We had a mix of existing Wallaroos players and new players we identified at the nationals,” Paul Verrell said to ARU Media.

“On the completion of what we did in that camp there was some very positive signs moving forward next year and into 2017.

“Some of our key learnings from the last World Cup is that we needed to improve on that set piece so we targeted our forwards.

“We had 23 (forwards) in that camp and the signs I’ve seen already is that we are in a better place than where we were heading into the 2014 Women’s World Cup.

“I think with two more years of development and working on these players we are going to be very competitive when we head to Ireland.”

“Eva Karpani came through from South Australia, she has been targeted for the last few years and has played at the Youth Olympics.

“She showed some good signs during the camp so I’m really looking forward to seeing her develop.

With a focus on coaching at the camp the ARU sent five up and coming female Rugby coaches for some professional development opportunities at the camp as Verrell explains: “We had five female coaches in with us over the five days.

“They controlled the two teams overseen by the ARU coaches so there was a bit rivalry there built up, so they didn’t hold back during the trial.

New Waratahs Forwards Coach, Cam Blades and coaching legend, Alan Gaffney offered their technical expertise to the players present.

“Cam Blades came on board to look at the set piece and around the contact area. Alan Gaffney came in to target our backline structures and do some work there,” Paul Verrell said to ARU Media.

“The focus was to go right back to basics and see where the players were and what we need to do to improve moving forward over the next two years.

“It was a lot of technique work with the set piece and with the backs.”

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