Trent Robinson has already began taking steps to ensure any fatigue from the Sydney Roosters' World Club Challenge trip to England doesn't come back to bite them during their NRL title defence.
The Roosters will enter the season as favourites to go back-to-back, a feat not achieved in a unified competition since Brisbane way back in 1992-93.
Of all the seven defending premiers to have travelled to England for the pre-season match in the past 10 years, most have started the season strong before all but one dropped down the ladder late in the year.
But Robinson is taking a measured approach with his players ahead of this season in order to buck the trend.
"(You overcome it) by doing what we did," the Roosters coach said.
"By recovering from the trip. We all know what it takes to recover from long overseas flights. That takes a week to 10 days to fully recover.
"But then we are asking them to be top-end athletes where percentage points on recoveries are really important and make a big difference."
Robinson rested all of last year's grand-final winning side for their last trial against Manly on Saturday night, with only Matt Ikuvalu, Lindsay Collins and Nat Butcher backing up from the World Club Challenge team.
"That was the call. A lot of people come out of those games and play 40 minutes this week and all of that," Robinson said.
"But you end up stopping your prep. We wanted to continue our pre-season for a couple of weeks longer and that's where the management of those guys come in.
"You've got to know what they need physically, and it wasn't to play (Manly).
"We know they (the players) will be ready round one, but we also know they will be right in the long-term with the way we're preparing."
Meanwhile, he was happy with the return of recruit Angus Crichton, who scored a try in his first outing for the Roosters after having shoulder surgery over the summer.
"He got out there and was quite physical on that shoulder," Robinson said.
"Because he's on the right-edge back row and it's the left shoulder it's quite a dominant shoulder to tackle with.
"So that was really good for him to get the hit out, get him moving and get him into the rhythm. It's what trials are for."
