It was meant to sort the men from the boys, determine the squad leaders and discover who had the physical and mental fortitude to get through a series of demanding tasks set down for them by the coaching and training staff.
The entire Sharks NRL squad ran from Shark Park to Darouk Park, paddled to Bundeena-Mainabar then took on a series of tortuous training tasks on the sand and in the waters of the Royal National Park.
After that they paddled back to the shore at Cronulla, physically spent after an alternative training day conducted under a hot summer sun.
It was tough work but at the same time a welcome change from the conditioning drills the players go through at Shark Park and the Cronulla High School Academy field on a daily basis.
Split into four teams, the players competed in groups, with the red and pink coloured squads looking the most likely almost from the outset.
And that’s the way it panned out, with the red team coming away with a narrow points-decision after the results from all the challenges were tallied.
Congratulations to the red team, consisting of Matt Prior, David Fifita, Chad Townsend, Valentine Holmes, Gerard Beale, Ben Barba, Jordan Drew and Matt McIlwrick.
See all the highlights from the day's events!
