World Cup Qualifier: Inside the Socceroos' lavish mid-air recovery

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This was published 6 years ago

World Cup Qualifier: Inside the Socceroos' lavish mid-air recovery

By Dominic Bossi
Updated

The moment the seat belt sign went off after take-off, half a dozen fitness coaches, physiotherapists and sports scientists leaped out of their seats and got to work on the Socceroos' recovery after their gruelling draw with Honduras on Saturday [AEDT].

They went straight to the back of the chartered Qantas flight where the rear seats had been transformed into a flying fitness studio. Two massage tables were fixed across the back seats where one by one, the players walked down the aisles to begin their treatment.

Flying above the Central American peninsula and then the Pacific Ocean, they undertook the first stage of their warm-down and recovery after playing in the hot, humid conditions in San Pedro Sula on a soggy, loose pitch that left the players' hamstrings and calf muscles aching considerably more than usual.

Some players suggested was the worst pitch they had played on in their careers. One claimed it was easier to run on sand than the paddock at the Estadio Olimpico. They took turns being massaged on the tables at the back before having short sessions with the national team's chief physio, Les Gelis.

The Socceroos used Re-Timer glasses on the first leg of their journey.

The Socceroos used Re-Timer glasses on the first leg of their journey.Credit: FFA

No stone was left unturned on the lavish chartered flight provided by Football Federation Australia to give the Socceroos every chance possible to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia by gaining a major fitness advantage over Honduras before the second leg in Sydney on November 15. It cost the FFA $250,000 more than the price of commercial flight options from San Pedro Sula to Sydney.

The attention to detail was something to be marvelled. The team's sports scientist Dr Craig Duncan was given the reins to the aircraft's lighting and air conditioning. For the first five hours, the lights were turned up to their brightest level to help the players stay awake and begin their adjustment to the 17-hour time difference between Honduras and Sydney.

The temperature was set initially to 24 degrees, warm enough to make sleeping uncomfortable in the early stages of the flight. During this period, the players went through all their recovery at the rear of the plane, or were huddled in groups playing cards, chatting and playing video games.

Others wore "Re-Timer" glasses that project light on to the face to help readjust body clocks. It's a light therapy device used to help people in the northern hemisphere combat the various health problems that come with sunlight deficiencies and is popular in Scandinavian countries. For the Socceroos, it was simply used to help the players recover as quickly as possible.

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Tim Cahill is treated on board the Socceroos' flight to Honolulu.

Tim Cahill is treated on board the Socceroos' flight to Honolulu.Credit: FFA

Midway through the first leg of the journey, the lights began to dim and the temperature dropped slightly as bedtime beckoned. The second half of the flight was when the players had to start readjusting their sleeping patterns.

They returned to the business-class front end of the plane to gain a few hours sleep before their stop-off in Honolulu. After landing, the players went through stretching exercises inside the terminal in the space around their gate, in between chairs and in walkways. While waiting for the plane to refuel they swapped the Re-Timer eye-wear for orange shade glasses designed to help assist with sleep.

The Socceroos have been given a recovery boost ahead of the second leg against Honduras.

The Socceroos have been given a recovery boost ahead of the second leg against Honduras.Credit: AP

The second stage of the trip, from Honolulu to Sydney, was set for nothing but rest, lights turned off and the temperature dropped to as low as 18 degrees to help the players get as much as sleep as possible.

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The chartered flight will land in Sydney 24 hours before the Hondurans are set to arrive. By the time the Central Americans touch down at Kingsford Smith Airport, Australia will be on the cusp of peak conditioning after one of the most extravagant and lavish journeys in professional sport.

They will be afforded an invaluable benefit in fitness and recovery and an intangible boost in confidence with the scores still locked a 0-0 at the halfway mark of the series.

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