Most people dream about being able to combine their personal passion with their job, but that is the reality for UNE Senior lecturer in Exercise and Sports Science, Dr Adrian Gray.
An avid rugby league follower while growing up in Ipswich, Queensland, Adrian now works with elite young players as part of UNE’s ongoing partnership with the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL).
This involvement is set to become even deeper following the opening of the NSWRL Centre of Excellence opens today, where UNE will have students interned in the centre’s sports science lab.
Adrian’s interest in sports science was fuelled by an overuse injury he suffered as a youngster who played “every sport I could” – including being a State champion off road rider – as well being inspired by a neighbour who was studying sports science at the time.
“I was playing soccer, baseball, running, swimming, racing enduros – I was doing a bit of everything,” he recalls.
“It was obviously too much because I developed Sever’s Disease, which is a really painful overuse injury where the Achilles attaches to the heel.
“That sparked an interest in how much exercise people can tolerate. Then when I was racing dirt bikes I realised I wasn’t going to keep getting better unless I trained more effectively, so I asked my neighbour what I needed to do to get fitter, what I should eat on race day, and she really opened my eyes up to the world of sports science.
“She is probably the main reason I went on to enrol in an Applied Science Degree in Human Movement Studies at the University of Queensland.”
After completing his undergraduate studies in 2006, Adrian went straight on to a PhD, which saw him work closely with the Brisbane Lions AFL club. There, he worked on translating raw GPS data into a form that would help coaching and conditioning staff make informed decisions on training volumes, aiming to get the best performances out of players.
That experience has shaped the nature of his research to this day, and underlined the importance of students having ready access to elite athletes.
“This is one of the main benefits of UNE’s partnership with the NSWRL,” he says. “Students will get to work with elite young players very early in their development.
“Our main focus will be on the NSWRL’s talent pathways – the Sydney based 16s, 18s and 20s academies, as well as Country Rugby League’s regional academies, which includes more than 300 players,” he said.
“The Centre of Excellence will give us a hub in which we can readily access the players and run a world class research program, as it will house all the equipment necessary to do that.
“The data we collect is aimed at the long-term vision of building depth in the player pool across NSW.
“Our best undergraduate students will have opportunities to lead scientific support programs across those elite junior academies, where they will be responsible for rolling out physical testing, player monitoring programs and facilitating the strength and conditioning programs.
“It’s exciting for UNE. It’s a very important step in cementing our place as a serious uni in exercise and sports science.
“For me personally, it’s great to be able to line up my passions outside of work with what I do scientifically.”
