THE SHUTDOWN has brought out the best in a surprise Sydney funny man.
According to young defender Callum Mills, its backline coach and former 359-game Fitzroy and North Melbourne player John Blakey who is lighting up the club's weekly Zoom meetings.
Sydney is still conducting weekly team meetings via Zoom and is reviewing its round one performance via line meetings on WhatsApp, but its fitness sessions are also bringing out plenty of banter among the group.
According to Mills, that's where the 53-year-old Blakey – who is the father of the club's promising young forward Nick Blakey – is producing his best material.
"We have a meeting once per week on Zoom," Mills told reporters on Thursday.
"We also have one with our line groups, but we do fitness sessions via Zoom. That's a bit funny, but it keeps everyone interacted and it helps when someone else is doing it at the same time as you. The WhatsApp has been going off.
"Our defensive coach, John Blakey, is underrated with his wit on what's happening and on Zoom. He's a very underrated funny man."
Sydney has recently introduced team fitness sessions, which normally includes bike work, to be conducted online as a further means of keeping its squad together throughout the suspension period.
"It's usually on the spin bike," Mills said.
"You set your computer or your phone up in front of you and someone calls out the session.
"There's a bit of banter that goes on. But it's also a bit awkward when there's no music, because you have to listen to people talk.
"It's something different and it's something exciting to keep you going through this period, because it can get stale when you're doing it by yourself."
