The heat is on

You won’t hear Senior Coach Michael Voss complaining about the sweltering training conditions felt in Brisbane over summer.

In fact, he views the soaring temperatures as an opportunity for his team to strengthen their mental toughness and gain a competitive advantage – particularly considering some rival clubs now going out of their way to expose their players to such conditions.

So when the Lions were met with another typically warm session on Monday morning, Voss saw it as a chance to further challenge his players.  

“It was a very hot day today,” Voss said.

“I know a lot of teams are coming up here to face the humidity, well we don’t have to go anywhere.”

“If there is a scientific advantage (to training in humid conditions), then we can’t complain about today’s session. But they did it tough today.”

Voss and his coaching staff were still cautious of the heat, and made sure the session was adjusted accordingly to ensure the players didn’t ‘burn out’.   

“As long as you give them a rest – that’s the most important part,” Voss said.

“You still have to try and get the intensity and effort out of them, but you have to make sure they get enough rest as well.”

“Depending on the session, you also want to sort of mentally challenge them in that space while you’ve got the chance, because you can’t always control your environment.”