GOLD Coast footballer Louis Herbert will jump in the boxing ring every day this week.
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He’ll strap on his gloves and spend an hour training as he ramps up preparation for his second AFL season.
Herbert, who has spent the past two weeks home in the south-west, hopes the sessions with Warrnambool boxing coach Rodney Ryan will be invaluable.
“We get under way for pre-season in a couple of weeks so I need to get the fitness base under control,” he said.
“I have been put specific goals (to reach) before we get back for pre-season, so as soon as we get back we’ll do a two-kilometre time-trial, strength tests and that sort of thing just to make sure we’ve all been doing work in the off-season instead of just lazing around and doing nothing.
“The focus is to keep getting fitter and stronger.”
Herbert, 20, feels well placed to attack his second pre-season training with vigour.
The chance to impress Gold Coast’s new coach — the Suns are yet to appoint a replacement for Guy McKenna — and build on his three-game debut season is spurring the former North Ballarat Rebel.
“I had a pretty limited pre-season this year and last year,” he said. “I had my appendix out so that didn’t help.
“All of us first years didn’t do the whole pre-season; we did about 75 per cent of it just to get us rolling.
“So this coming pre-season will be a lot tougher and I am looking forward to it.” Herbert expects to start the 2015 season on the Suns’ rookie list.
But the South Warrnambool export believes he can push for elevation to the senior list, as he did in 2014 when he replaced injured skipper Gary Ablett.
He made his debut in round 18 as a sub and added two more appearances to his tally.
“I’ll still be going into next season as a rookie,” Herbert said. “If I have a good pre-season and things fall my way, you just never know.”
A big loss to Brisbane marred Herbert’s first game but he played in a win the following week against St Kilda.
Strong performances at half-forward for Gold Coast’s NEAFL side pushed his case for selection.
“It was really surprising. Guy McKenna came up to me mid-week and said ‘Ablett is going to be out and you’re going to replace him’,” Herbert said.
“When he told me those words I was very surprised and he said that I could be playing that week, which took me back even more so. I was originally an emergency and I got the late call-up so it was a great feeling.
“I played with all the boys in the seconds and that was good fun, but to finally get out there with the great players of the club and run out there with them was probably the best part.”
Herbert expects Gold Coast to push for finals next year and is excited about the prospect of playing alongside former Sydney Swans premiership defender Nick Malceski, who has joined the Suns as a free agent.