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FEATURE STORY
High Performance Program
Following on from our exclusive two-part interview with USA Tomahawks head coach Matthew Elliott, WeAreRugby can report that the American National Rugby League is continuing to piece together a plan of action for the Rugby League World Cup qualifying series later this year.
As we reported, Elliott has been named to guide the US national team through that series against South Africa and Jamaica in October.
The RLWC Atlantic zone qualifiers will be played in Philadelphia in mid-October. The winner will earn a berth in Group D alongside Wales and the Cook Islands.
The AMNRL is formatting an elite player/high performance program for the Tomahawks player pool to be instituted in the lead up to the RLWCQ.
“We plan to have three minicamp assemblies around the country and will have two internationals against Canada leading into October,” says AMNRL president David Niu.
The League will provide regular feedback to Coach Elliott regarding progress, identification of talent and evaluations.
With the AMNRL domestic competition scheduled to kick off in May, the League will be paying close attention to the form of resident players with a view to potential inclusion in the player pool.
Elliott will also have the opportunity to give his input on any core skill and system-based preparations that he would like to have put in place prior to his arrival in the US.
The actual date of his arrival stateside will largely depend on how far his club side Penrith progresses in the NRL playoffs, assuming the Panthers can advance to the Australian postseason.
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