They look like something Kanye West would wear to the Grammys or a welder might use to protect his eyes from sparks.
And while his players baulk at their fashion sense, Canberra coach Dave Furner hopes these glasses are a visual training aid that can improve the handling skills of his Raiders back line.
Initially developed by British company SAQ International for soccer goalkeepers, the glasses - known as VETS - are essentially goggles with pinhole lenses to limit vision.
Furner developed a keen interest in alternative training products during his playing stint in Wigan and this is the latest idea he's imported back to Canberra.
The Raiders halves and outside backs have been sporting the new look since Christmas.
They have been wearing them prior to skills sessions, particularly focusing on long-range passing and catching.
''It was a training aid they initially developed for soccer goalkeepers,'' Furner said. ''It's not really for peripheral vision, it's more for depth perception and hand-eye coordination. Basically, it's resistance training for your eyes.
''It's like any resistance training, you can't do it once and get benefits. It's just something we can be consistent with it and hopefully it works.''
''They'll wear them during some passing drills before they go out for a skills session, then they take them off. It's a bit like how your eyes react when you switch the light off, the next minute it's pitch dark but your eyes start start to adjust and you can see.''
Raiders five-eighth Terry Campese admits he was sceptical at first.
''Coaches have their weird and wonderful ideas and this is one of them I guess,'' Campese said.
''But it makes you focus on the ball when they're on and when you take them off you do see the ball clearly into your hands. They do work - I don't think any of us have dropped a ball after we've had them on.
''We're trying to use them as much as possible to get the ball in our hands early.''
Josh McCrone cringed when he first spotted the glasses in coach Furner's office, but he too is coming around to the new trend.
''He had us using goggles a few years ago where the bottom half of the goggles were covered so you had to keep your eyes up, so I thought this might be another fad,'' McCrone said. ''But we're still using them and it's not too bad. It affects your depth perception and it takes a little bit of getting used to.
''It definitely can't hurt us, so it's worth a crack. We'll wait and see.''
No pun intended.
The Raiders halves could also foresee that some wise-cracks would be coming their way from the Canberra forwards. It seems the glasses have also helped Canberra's back-line defence - at least verbally.
'The forwards have to learn to pass and catch a ball before they start bagging anyone,'' Campese said.
McCrone joked, ''They reckon they look like my normal sunnies''.
''I think they're going to be the new shutter sunnies at festivals.''
Furner could only comment on their training benefit.
''You're asking the wrong person about fashionable glasses,'' he laughed.

















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