SOUTH Cumbrian trio Ade Gardner, Greg Richards and Morgan Knowles certainly won’t forget a demanding day they spent in the Lakes with their St Helens team-mates.

They were part of a group from the Super League kingpins who were put through their paces at Graythwaite-based Cassius Camp as part of a pre-season team development programme.

Carrying logs, piggybacking team-mates up a steep hill, moving huge tyres, kayaking and an open water swim were just some of the tough exercises the party underwent under the watchful eyes of the Cassius experts.

Former Great Britain and Saints wingman Gardner, now assistant conditioner at the Merseyside club, enjoyed his stint at the venue which overlooks Windermere – although he did admit to taking a breather after the morning session.

The Walneyite, who joined Saints from Barrow, felt the adventure was well worth it and said: “It was a great day, it really was.

“I did the morning bit, my days of doing pre-season are almost gone but the staff basically all jumped in, but by dinner time my body had started to pack up.

“The old knees had gone and the hip was going, so I got my warm coat on and watched the boys go for a swim. But it was good to get out with the boys and encourage them.”

It was the first time Saints had attended the Cassius Camp which run adventurous, competitive-based programmes to focus teams on success, and Gardner added: “We went into it a little bit blind. We kind of knew what was coming but we didn’t realise how intense it was.

“They give us a bit of a brief that it was about teamwork and the best way to do things to get your team-mate through. It was all about encouraging your partner.”

He said of the regime: “It was just pain the whole way through, but the good thing was you were in your group and they all helped.”

Gardner was delighted to see how both former Barrow Island amateur Richards and Saints Academy player of the year Knowles came through.

He said: “I have been lucky enough to coach Morgan in the under-19s in the past 12 months. I am always having good banter with him about him being from Ulverston and me being a Walney lad.

“I think Greg Richards posted one of the best times on the assault course. It was pleasing to see two local lads doing so well.”

He added: “It was really good. It was probably the best sort of team-building we have done for a long time, the people up there couldn’t be more helpful and professional, everything went like clockwork for the entire day.

“Next week the boys are down in Plymouth at an army base for four days and so that is going to be another bit of team-building.”

Tom Rothwell puts the Cassius programmes together as course director. The part owner said: “They did really well. They were put through their paces and a lot had some lightbulb moments where they looked at themselves and thought if we are going to win this season we are going to have to really dig in.

“They were put in some really tough situations and they overcame them and they were brilliant, they were tremendous.”

After breakfast at Silver Holme the group underwent a ‘pushing the limits’ mindset exercise before a four-hour long physical functional fitness course and in the afternoon some kayak racing and open water swim.

“Keiron Cunningham the head coach said the Cassius Camp was absolutely tremendous and, Sean Long, he was saying it was a fantastic experience and was one of the hardest sessions he has ever seen rugby league lads being put through,” added Rothwell.

“Everything throughout the day is competitive. The day was just brilliant and the guys just got so much from it. It was the first time St Helens have used us, but they have already said they will pre-book again for pre-season next year.”

He said: “I see them having a really good chance of winning the title this year, and hopefully they will because it will be a really good reflection on the camp they have done with us.”