Magpies go to spin class to train

LOWER Clarence Magpies players are leaving the training paddocks and stepping on to the spin class floors in a bid to prepare for rugby league’s 2010 season.

The old philosophy of sweating it out on the field has been adapted, with Magpies players gearing up for the new campaign with stints in the spin classes at Body Rocks.

Team boss Ricky Binge says the move was purely to keep things fresh for his troops, bracing for a premiership defence.

Pushing his new-look squad to the limit is the name of the game.

Each spin class includes a circuit of exercise aimed at pushing the heart rates sky high.

“It’s quite a workout,” Binge said.

“It’s good to look outside the square.

“We’re not happy until we make one of the players cry. Two or three have got close. It’s quite a session.

“Some of the players have been looking forward to it.”

Around 30 players have flocked to Magpie sessions, with the club picking up the crumbs from some departed match-winners including Hughie Stanley and Dan Randall.

But Binge is content with the calibre of replacement and sees no reason why a title repeat is out of the question.

“Everyone has been putting in. We have lost a few players but we have recruited quite well,” he said.

“It hasn’t been going to bad. A few more numbers would have been good.

“I think it’s probably the same every year – it’s the time of year. Overall it’s been really good.”

The new league season kicks off in March.