Two years ago, Swans dietitian Lorraine Cullen, had just purchased an apartment in Glasgow and was working for one of the most famous football teams in the world, 54-time Scottish League Champions, Rangers FC.

Little did she know that within six months, she would be working on the other side of the world, for a team she didn’t know, in a sport she knew little about.

In her time in Sydney, Cullen has excelled in her role of making sure the young, and not so young, men on the Swans list eat correctly and remain healthy.

However, there is much more to Cullen’s role then purely instructing the players of the proper things to eat or drink.

“My general role is to make sure all the boys are eating the right foods, and that their body composition is at the right place they need to be for their position,” the Scottish native told sydneyswans.com.au.

“I also work very closely with the fitness team to monitor the player’s fitness goals with their body composition goals, so from that I have to help the boys manipulate their diets so that they can reach those goals.”

“Also making sure the boys are recovering and organising meals, just everything to do with food and what goes in their mouth.”

Every player on the list is different when it comes to what they need to do to stay fit and healthy, however, what is common amongst them all is the harder they work, the more tired they will be. This is when Cullen needs to be alert and making sure the players are properly re-fuelling. 

“Without fuelling correctly, bodies just wouldn’t be able to last for the game at the intensity that is needed to play AFL,” Cullen said.

“When they are training at the moment looking forward to next season, they are always trying to gain a bit more in training, so it is really important that they fuel themselves correctly and eat the right foods.”

One of the hardest parts of Cullen’s job is managing the group as a whole whilst also adapting programs to suit certain individuals. 

“Although there is a generic diet for the boys, a lot of the group things I look at as well. For example, there is a protein machine in the gym and although they all have to take it, some may have to have more cups then others,” she said.

“We also divide the players into guys that might need to lose some fat but increase their lean body mass, guys that just need to maintain, and guys who need to increase lean mass. This helps us as we can break them into generic groups.”

Cullen will continue to work with the players throughout the pre-season carefully monitoring what each player is eating and drinking, especially during the dangerous Christmas period where calories are abundant.

Lorraine's top 5 tips for players during the pre-season:

- It is vital players have a good breakfast, high in unrefined carbohydrates and protein (eg oat based muesli and yogurt).

- Stay hydrated by drinking at least 2-3 litres of fluid per day, plus extra after training sessions.

- Recover well with an immediate intake of food or fluids high in protein and carbohydrates (eg nutrition hakes)

- Keep your body well fuelled by eating regularly. (5-6 time per day)

- Quality sleep is important.