The Canberra Raiders are at a "very significant disadvantage" in trying to adapt to the drastic change of temperature in north Queensland, an expert in thermal physiology says.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Raiders have attempted every trick under the sun to help the players cope with the sudden rise in heat in Saturday night's clash with the North Queensland Cowboys at Townsville Stadium.
Even with a late afternoon 5.30pm kickoff in the middle of winter, the temperature is expected to be around 24 degrees.
That's a far cry from the frosty mornings and the single digit temperatures the Raiders have experienced in Canberra for the past few months.
The Raiders trained wearing beanies and compression clothing this week in Canberra to increase their body heat and get used to the conditions.
They arrived in Townsville on Thursday and completed their captain's run on Friday morning where the temperature was in the mid-20s.
Previously, the Raiders have worn ice-cold beanies at halftime to cool their temperature, and have also put sunscreen on footballs at training to simulate the slippery conditions brought on by the humidity.
Meg Ross is an exercise physiologist who is a post doctoral fellow at the AIS.
She has conducted studies on practical pre-cooling for athlete performance in the heat and on thermal physiology.
Ross said the challenges faced on footballers who had to adapt to drastic change in temperature were "very significant".
"For these team sport players, who have to run and do a repeat sprint, it affects them considerably," Ross said.
"Your ability to do repeat exercise is impaired and your ability to maintain high intensity exercise is compromised.
"You won't be able to do repeat sets all day and maintain the strength-related work you'd be able to do in temperate conditions.
"They are at a huge disadvantage, all they can do is minimise that risk to performance."
It's not unusual for the Raiders to think outside the square to gain a competitive edge on their rivals.
At the start of last season, the entire Raiders NRL squad trialled a device known as the Elevation Training Mask, which simulated an altitude of 4500 metres above sea level.
The mask's inventors claim it provides resistance training for the lungs, increases breathing capacity and improves the body's use of oxygen.
The Raiders also enrolled players with sleeping issues into a scientific AIS sleep study to try and improve performance.
Ross said one of the main strategies to help the body adapt to a drastic change in temperature was pre-cooling.
This could involve consuming an ice slushie made from a sports drink high in carbohydrates.
"We have a limited capacity to gain heat, and when we hit critical temperatures, that's when fatigue sets in," Ross said.
"What pre-cooling does is allow us to compete at the same intensity for longer, or higher intensity until we reach that fatigue.
"Your body is trying to release the heat so it's sending blood flow to the skin and to the gut and the brain as opposed to just the muscles that need it most."
