New Rooster's working overtime
1/06/2011 3:06:51 PM
With the cast of injuries continuing at Bondi Junction it seems like it’s becoming a weekly task to introduce the latest debutant to inject himself in to the NRL.
So without further a due meet Rhys Pritchard!
Pritchard hails from the Central Coast and has been a stand out performer for the Newtown Jets all season and especially in the last few weeks.
Pritchard though is not your regular full time NRL squad Member.
Scarily, Pritchard could be considered somewhat of a veteran in the modern game, making his debut at the ripe old age of 24.
It is what he does when he is not playing footy though that makes Pritchard stand out.
Despite training full time with the rest of the Roosters squad, the Wyong Roos Junior somehow manages time to run his very own personal training business.
Pritchard’s ‘Total Body Personal Training’ was set up two years ago as a small business operating simply through contacts he already had.
The business has since taken off ensuring Rhys is up at the crack of dawn Monday to Friday and then at it again three nights a week after being put through his paces all day by the coaching staff at the Roosters.
“I’m pleasantly surprised at how well business has really taken off,” he said.
“I even have merchandise that I distribute now so hopefully everything continues to go well.”
This was of course the last thing Pritchard wanted to talk about, the excitement in his face when he came to collect his Roosters suit was there for all to see.
“It’s just really exciting. I have been training and working hard for years and finally I get a chance to prove myself so I guess my overriding reaction is relief,” he said.
“When Smithy told me, I was sitting in on a session with a dietician and I felt bad but I just couldn’t listen to a word she was saying after Smithy ducked his head in. I was just in total shock.”
“I have had a few setbacks in my career and to finally make it and put the red, white and blue is great and something I am ready for.”
The likable youngster, who will line up on the wing this Saturday Night, has a simple answer to what he wants to achieve against the Warriors.
“A safe game is a good game isn’t it?” he said.
“Anything else will just be a bonus.”
Pritchard will become the 4th player in the club to make his NRL debut this season.
He will however be the first to have to explain the experience to a group of clients on a Monday morning.
