Craig Kopczak believes a first full week of pre=season training will be conducted at a far higher intensity because of the Giants’ Catterick Army Camp experience.
Huddersfield’s Super League squad and coaching staff returned from ‘three days of hell’ in North Yorkshire, when sleeping out in the wilderness and taking part in a whole host of strenuous physical exercises were the order of the day.
But while Giants prop Kopczak admitted the Catterick training camp took everyone out of their comfort zone, he knows it’s helped make them appreciate their usual pre-season work even more and embrace their specific rugby league drills with extra relish.
“The camp was really good for character building and it took everyone out of their comfort zones,” said Kopczak.
“It was very cold and physical, there was a lot of running involved and it was mentally tough.
“But there’s no doubt at all the camp will help us for next year and even further down the line when things start to get tough. We were definitely challenged mentally and that can only bode well when we need to dig deep during games.
“It’s also helped us to appreciate our own pre-season work even more.
“Since we’ve come back from the camp we’ve done some skills work to get used to having the ball back in our hands and to get us used to being out in the cold and wet.
“We’ve also got back to the physical side of things with strength training as well. We’re doing wrestling sessions on top of a lot of running and conditioning training, which means it’s going to be a tough week, although that’s what pre-season is all about.”
