On episode 12 of Behind The Roar we talk to rugby league’s longest serving strength and conditioning coach, Ronnie Palmer.
Behind The Roar drops every Wednesday afternoon and is available on Apple, Spotify and YouTube.
A Balmain junior who would later play for the Tigers in the 70’s, Ronnie has seen it all, having given more than 50 years of service to the game.
That includes twenty-odd years with the Roosters, about 25 years with the NSW Origin team, and working with 23 different coaches in that time.
Ronnie talks about experiences spanning several decades, how the game has changed so much over that time, and how the modern-day rugby league professional is so well equipped to perform at his or her peak.
Following back-to-back wins for Wests Tigers, and ahead of Saturday’s next match against the Rabbitohs, Ronnie is confident about where the club’s NRL team is headed.
“You can see the combinations are building and with that so too is the confidence,” said Palmer.
We’re fast becoming the team that loves the big challenges, we did it against Penrith and we’ll want to do it against Souths as well.
Ronnie Palmer
Ronnie comes from an era where things were very different, in football and in life.
He says the foundations of success haven’t changed too much with time. Hard work. Authenticity. Positive mindset. Happiness. Just to name a few.
For a bloke who grew up on a street where just one home owned a telephone, Ronnie has certainly adapted well to his calling over the years.
Asked what the biggest development in strength and conditioning has been over the past decade or two, he’s quick with his response.
“It’s about recovery,” he says.
“Most teams are about as well prepared as each other physically but I think there have been big advancements in recovery methods in recent years.
“Here at the Zurich Centre we’ve got the physios, the massages, the hot and cold baths, we’ve got the lot.”
Ronnie is also quick to point out that physical preparation is only part of the high performance story.
“They’ve got to be happy,” he says.
A happy player in a happy place is going to play good footy.
Ronnie Palmer
“It’s about a holistic approach to high performance, both physical and mental.”
Palmer’s current role is more focussed on preparing the younger players coming through Wests Tigers pathways program, which is a hugely important area of focus for the club.
He talks about the transition in physical preparation as players progress through their teens, offering sound advice to parents who are also part of this journey.
Ronnie also reflects on moments shared with some of the ‘greats’ he’s worked with over the years including the likes of Arthur Beetson, Jack Gibson, Tommy Raudonikis, and others.
Palmer was lured to the Roosters by ‘Artie’ in 1987 and was hugely fond of the man.
“It didn’t matter where you were, what time of the day, he had time for everyone,” he says about Beetson.
He was a big man with a heart of gold and everybody loved him.
Ronnie Palmer
On a lighter note, Palmer recounts the infamous NSW Origin team-bonding session in 1999 which resulted in one player, who wasn’t such a great horseman, being sidelined for about three months with a serious injury.
Just one of many stories collected over a storied career.
All that and more in this week’s episode of Behind The Roar.
