Niall Canavan, who signed a two-year-deal at the club this summer, spoke to Dale PlayerHD after session four in Tenerife...
“I’m feeling the usual aches and pains of pre-season,” said Niall.
“Your body gets used to the movements you make during the football match, which you don’t really replicate during the summer, but I’m standing up to what we’ve been doing so far. It’s good to have the ball at your feet because it gives you that bit more familiarity.”
The players have completed four sessions since arriving at the T3 training facility, with them clocking up over four hours-worth of training time a day.
It’s gruelling for the players in the warm conditions, and while it’s Canavan’s first pre-season under Manager Keith Hill, he says he was pre-warned about how tough it would be.
“I had a bit of a heads up from the lads during my time at the club last season and they weren’t wrong. It’s tough but if you put the hard-work in then you get the rewards. That’s what the Gaffer preaches.
“If you put the hard-work in now then you definitely feel the benefit across the whole length of the season. Pre-season is definitely a time to lay all the foundations for what will hopefully be a successful season.”
Canavan’s appearance has changed over the summer months, with the defender losing a considerable amount of weight. He believes he is feeling the benefits.
“Footballers nowadays look after themselves a lot better than they have in the past. I made a decision this year to try and cut back a bit. I’ve had double knee surgery over the last two seasons , and the last two years is the biggest I’ve ever been. It’s something I wanted to look into to see if it benefited me and I’m definitely feeling the benefits.”
The full interview will be on Dale PlayerHD on Sunday morning.