Wolfpack News Archive

Wolfpack candidates,

The State Division 1 season is over and to me the most important thing now is that we all take a break after a long season. Get back into your lifting, let any niggling injuries heal and clear your heads. Re-charge the batteries. The next officially scheduled event is trials in late January. Then it’s the naming of the train-on squad, testing and pre-season training.

Also, we’ve created a Facebook group for those directly involved in Wolfpack. It’s an information site, not a fan site. To join you need to search for it under ‘NSW WOLFPACK VII’. Use those roman numerals! Then tell any other candidates you know that haven’t joined. If you aren’t on Facebook, then email me and we’ll add you to our email list.

Peter Upham of Shire Speed & Strength, who is Wolfpack’s Strength & Conditioning Co-ordinator, has put together some vision so players can get an idea of what the requirements for the lifts are in Wolfpack Testing. You’ll find Part 1 here.

Some players have been asking for guidance on the types of numbers to aim for. While we don’t have ‘eliminator’ strength levels, I can send you information on what we feel are a good guideline (based on last Wolfpack) for what you should shoot for. If you want them email here.

Peter Upham will also be putting together a blog, which is basically ‘How I would prepare for Wolfpack’. This will be an invaluable resource in your preparation. It will be up on his Shire Speed & Strength site soon.

From Head Coach Stephen Dunne

It’s a great honour to be appointed Head Coach of the NSW Wolfpack. I want to outline the plan we have for putting the best team possible on the field in the 2012 Nationals. I’ve already spoken to a number of clubs and hope to catch up with the rest in the coming weeks. But here is an outline of some of our goals:

Put together the best Wolfpack possible

This means getting the best coaching and administrative staff available… and the best playing squad. Already the scouting of players has started: we’re listing every possible candidate and scouting both live and on film. We’ll then refine that list and come up with a train on squad for trialling and selection. Players will make the team on merit – not seniority or age. If you are good enough you are old enough. You’ll be assessed on athleticism and football ability. To put yourself in the frame for selection simply play the best football you can for your club. Execute the schemes you are coached. We’ll see that and scout it. In the end we will be choosing the best football players available. I expect competition for these limited places will be fierce.

Physical testing

The 2010 Wolfpack set new standards for physical testing. This included field work and in the gym. Peter Upham of Shire Speed and Strength is in charge of our Strength & Conditioning. You can contact him here. He can instruct you at his gym in the lifts we are testing. If you want he can arrange sessions for you at a discount. Working these lifts NOW will make you stronger and lead to better testing numbers. Peter will be posting film of what will be tested. Make sure you learn he correct technique! No half rep heroes will cut it in testing. We’re going to have the strongest squad at the 2012 Nationals.

Tournament Structure and Proposed Dates

The tournament will be played over 3 separate weekends.

• March 17 in Sydney
• March 31 in Queensland and then, after the Easter break,
• Championship Game (if we are good enough) April 14 at a venue to be confirmed.

This new structure will create some new challenges – but I’m certain we can meet them.

If you have any questions contact Wolfpack via email. Once costs are worked out we’ll let you know… but start saving NOW. If you want to be considered for this you’d better have some money put aside.

Let’s get ready – NSW has an incredible tradition at the Nationals… let’s make sure we build on that in 2012.

Go Wolfpack!

Coach Dunne

The Executive of Gridiron NSW are pleased to announce the appointment of Coach Stephen Dunne as the Head Coach of the NSW Wolfpack for the 2012 Gridiron Australia National Championship Series to be held in March and April 2012.

Coach Dunne has extensive experience at Club level winning a number of consecutive State titles, with such success carrying over to the NSW Wolfpack in 2010 when he was appointed its Head Coach, extending the Wolfpack’s dominance at the National level to 5 successive National Titles.

Over the coming weeks, Coach Dunne will be recruiting a coaching and management staff for approval by the GNSW Executive. Once settled, the coaching staff will be scouting the remaining games of the GNSW Division 1 season to review players for nomination to the 2012 Wolfpack squad.