It may be the middle of summer with temperatures hovering around the 40 degree mark but that won’t stop Dubbo Macquarie beginning its Group 11 pre-season in earnest on Tuesday evening.
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Raiders players got together in November to do some fitness work with new captain and co-coach Zac Rennick, who will be running the first session on Tuesday.
“We’ll get a few ks in the legs and do some skill work,” Rennick said.
“It’s fairly hot so you can’t go hell for leather but we’ll just work on a few things and then hook in.”
The platform is set for Rennick and the Raiders in 2017 after Steve McLellan, who remains on as co-coach, guided the side to a second-placed finish on the ladder last year.
The side was then bounced out after back-to-back weeks in the opening weeks of the finals but Rennick is pleased with what he’s going to be working with.
“It’s good and before Christmas we had a lot of our senior blokes turn up and there’s young blokes who are taking on senior roles now,” he said.
“And that will help us because we’re really working as a team and we can concentrate on the fitness and discipline in pre-season. We’re looking forward to it.”
Rennick stated there had been no major arrivals at the club but said, like every side, Macquarie was keen on adding one or two new faces before the start of the season.
“It’s the same squad now and we’re looking but it’s hard to compete at the moment,” he said.
“Fresh faces bring new energy and new ideas so we’ve always got out ears open and listening to see what’s happening but it’s hard and also a lot of blokes don’t want to commit before Christmas.”
In terms of departures, the Raiders have lost the creative and versatile Damien Wells, who looks certain to play for the Wellington Cowboys in 2017.
Wells is originally from Wellington and currently lives there while he is set to be joined forward Michael Peachey, who impressed when coming off the bench regularly for the Raiders last season.
While keen on new players, Rennick’s focus is firmly on his current squad and getting what he hopes will be a successful season underway on Tuesday.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” he said of his leadership role this season.
“The pressure is on but in every job you do there’s pressure on but it should be good. I can’t wait.”
Rennick also added it will be a positive to be around the players again as the club continues adjusting to life without Perry Meredith, who passed away in November.
“It’s been a tough last couple of months for not only me but the club and parents Mark, Liz and the family,” Rennick said. “But it will be good to get together again and get around mates.”
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
