Ahead of major international tournaments, physical preparation needed to better reflect the demands of competition, particularly back-to-back match load and cumulative intensity.
Initial review identified a clear gap between domestic exposure and tournament demands, with fatigue impacting decision-making and consistency.
We embedded within the programme to design and implement a structured physical system, progressively increasing load, developing back-to-back tolerance, and integrating monitoring and planning across the cycle.
Training volume increased by 57% while maintaining player health, back-to-back exposure doubled, and physical capacity improved under load — resulting in greater robustness and consistency in competition.
This work shows how aligned, long-term systems can prepare athletes for tournament demands without increasing injury risk.
The programme had a clear tactical identity but a limiting physical model. Key issues identified during initial review included:
