Head Coach Ray Junna had a change of pace on Thursday morning by helping out former AIS colleague, and now ACT Brumbies Head Coach, Andy Friend with a rugby union coaching session.
Head Coach Ray Junna had a change of pace on Thursday morning by helping out former AIS colleague, and now ACT Brumbies Head Coach, Andy Friend with a rugby union coaching session.
Junna, who is gearing up for the weekend-s crunch Westfield W-League Round Eight clash at Newcastle Jets, took time out from his schedule to help with the Brumbies pre-season regime.
“I know the Brumbies coaching staff from my time at the AIS, I even did my scholarship with Andy Friend,” Junna said.
Despite being more suited to the round ball game, Junna focused his session on some of the many attributes that cross the codes, in particular the use of space on the field.
“We looked at scanning, body positioning and spacial awareness, incorporating a few Soccer drills into their training sessions,” said Junna.
“In terms of scanning we have the same issues in these areas and we are just trying to change people-s habits. Looking at different sports can help assist us in this area. The Brumbies senior guys responded very well and were full of questions about what we do at Canberra United to see if it could help them.”
There is no need to be concerned about Junna switching codes just yet, mainly due to the physique of the athletes.
“They are a little bit too big for me! Maybe I could get a kicking job!” Junna joked.
Junna hopes that this could be the start of a mutually beneficial relationship between the two organisations, sharing ideas and technician tips.
“They (the Brumbies) are a good local organisation and it-s great for us to be associated with them,” he said.
“We definitely have thoughts about a reciprocal visit, the girls could learn to be a bit more robust and learn how to protect themselves in one-on-one situations, so we could definitely get something out of it.”
Canberra United travel north to take on the Newcastle Jets in Round Eight of the Westfield W-League to kick off a double header at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Sunday, kick off at 2.15pm, with tickets available through Ticketek.
