DEFENSIVE beast Campbell Brown has been a lively spark around goals for the Gold Coast SUNS since his return to senior football, but while his professional attitude and strong work ethic has contributed to his successful start to his eleventh premiership campaign, Brown says much of the credit belongs to Head Fitness Coach Paul Haines.
The 194-game veteran has kicked 6 Goals in his last two outings in an impressive return to top flight footy after serving a six week suspension. Brown putting opposition defenders on notice with his recent form suggesting he is as dangerous in attack as he is brutal in defence.
However it wasn’t an easy road back for the 179cm aggressive hitter, forced to do extra workouts after the senior squad’s on-field training sessions to maintain a strong conditioning and fitness base.
The man behind Brown’s gruelling fitness program said the club had analysed the player’s previous premiership seasons and determined the best possible training scheduled designed to test the former Hawk away from the playing field.
“We knew through GPS what his workload was in a game, and what he has been able to tolerate throughout a weekly basis for the last couple of years,” Haines said.
“So we looked at that GPS information and tried to overload certain areas in the way he plays – so that when he did come back he found the transition not too bad.”
Haines added: “He got through a lot of work over the six weeks; we periodised his program to make sure we got a lot of work into him but his recovery from it has been very good.”
With Brown being one of the club’s elder statesmen amongst the team’s young crop of emerging stars, Haines said the on-field leader had set a new standard of excellence around the team’s recovery sessions.
“He is the ultra-professional in the way he goes about his football, and his attitude throughout the six weeks when he was off was sensational,” Haines said.
“He really smashed his training over that period and to see him perform the way he is now is really pleasing.”
Brown saying his hard work was now paying handsome dividends.
“It’s never fun missing footy, but Paul and the team were great in their preparation and I knew that if there was an opportunity to return through the top side, that I had done the work and would be match ready, they were great and now I just have to make the most of every opportunity and keep myself in good nick,” Brown said.
Fitness key to Brown’s mid-season success
DEFENSIVE beast Campbell Brown has been a lively spark around goals for the Gold Coast SUNS since his return to senior football, but while his professional attitude and strong work ethic has contributed to his successful start to his eleventh premiership campaign, Brown says much of the credit belongs to Head Fitness Coach Paul Haines.
