Posts from the park | All eyes on World Series prize as players get back to work

While everyone settles back into their normal routine following the seasonal festivities, for us athletes the New Year has come with a new coach – with new ideas and a new focus, and a more professional environment.

With three tournaments in the build up to the Hong Kong Sevens, the year ahead is of even more importance as our home tournament doubles as the HSBC Sevens World Series qualifier – both a personal and team goal.

With preparation for the Darwin Sevens in mind, the first two weeks of training in 2014 have been very hard involving plenty of running. The entire squad have had a great work ethic, and competition for places is tough. Coach Gareth Baber is challenging us in new ways that I know will take the team to the next level.

With a similar squad to that which played in the HSBC Asian Sevens Series travelling down to Australia, it will be a vital building block for individual and team development, and it will be important for key experienced individuals to maintain and continue to develop their performance levels.

After spending a whole week away together for the first time since the World Games in Cali, Colombia last August, Darwin is set provide an ideal opportunity for roommates to become reacquainted and for the team to gel together as a unit again.

It will also allow us to further develop specific aspects of our game, following the final disappointment of the Asian Series with one eye on qualification for the Sevens World Series.