Over 160 nib Newcastle Knights players ventured to Newcastle University on Saturday for an all Club training session featuring five grades.
The session saw all players from the under 16's side through to the first-grade train alongside each other in a unique experience.
Elite Pathways Development coach, Scott Dureau, said the training session was an opportunity for the younger players to learn from the elite.
"We came up with the idea from past experiences we've had at the Club," Dureau said.
"When I was here (as a player), we used to do a couple of times in the pre-season; 20's, reserve grade and first grade all train together on a Saturday morning and integrate the junior members of the Club with the first graders.
"We thought that with the first graders that we have now, that it was a really good opportunity for us to integrate that to our younger grades, so we included 16's."
Supported by volunteers and staff on their days off, the session was a hit.
Dureau said he and the other coaches were thrilled with the way the NRL players stepped up in leading the session.
"The players were the coaches so to speak and they ran the sessions for the younger players and then they had a block of their own training that they did as well, that the young players were able to get up close and watch and learn from," Dureau said.
"Mitchell Pearce took a group of young halves and he was great, Shaun Kenny-Dowall with some outside backs. Tim Glasby and David Klemmer were both outstanding with some forwards, Kalyn (Ponga) did some stuff with some young halves and fullbacks, which was great."
