Drew's mum brings home reality






WHILE Drew Mitchell was celebrating the NSW Waratahs' record-breaking win over the Lions in the team's dressing room at the Sydney Football Stadium last Friday night he received a voicemail on his mobile phone from his mother.

As Mitchell had scored a record four tries in the Waratahs' record 11-try haul he was expecting a congratulatory message. But Mitchell's mother reminded him he had let Lions winger Tonderai Chavhanga in for a try when he fumbled the ball in-goal.
"I got a message from my mum on voicemail, saying good work love on your five tries -- four for you guys and one for them," Mitchell said. "You can't get too far ahead of yourself when you get a message like that from your mum."
While Mrs Mitchell helped to keep Drew's feet on the ground, the Wallabies winger still had reason to feel good about himself.
A key off-season recruit for the Waratahs, Mitchell had scored only one try in the first four games in a slow start to the season after recovering from a hamstring injury. Mitchell was lacking match fitness after missing the Waratahs' three pre-season trials.
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"It's only been in the last couple of weeks that I've felt I've been able to go the 80 minutes and actually add something," Mitchell said.
Mitchell's match fitness also gave him the confidence to leave his left wing and go looking for opportunities elsewhere. As a result, Mitchell popped up to score two of his tries on the right wing.
"I think it's having a bit more in the motor," Mitchell said. "Sometimes when you are a bit fatigued you just stay out on your wing and if it comes to you, it comes to you. If not, so be it. Now, physically, I'm feeling good and it enables me to get around the park and really go sniffing. There are opportunities out there. Sometimes it's not right in front of you so you've got to go looking for it."
Mitchell will be looking to take this form into the match against the winless Western Force when he opposes his former team in Perth tonight. After three seasons in Perth, Mitchell knows as well as anyone how much emphasis the Force places on matches against the other Australian teams.
The Force players are allowed to keep the jerseys they play in from the local derbies, which underlines the importance of the games.
The Perth side beat all three Australian opponents last year, but lost 24-16 to the Brumbies in the 2010 season opener and was thrashed 50-10 by the Queensland Reds in Brisbane last Sunday.
"Obviously, you go out to win every game, but there is always that little more emotion in these games," Mitchell said. "As a club the Australian games are certainly ones that they highlight."
Mitchell, who said he left Perth because he felt isolated from family and friends on the east coast, was looking forward to play against his old teammates.
"When you make a decision to leave a club it's always one game you look at in the draw as to when you'll be getting back there," Mitchell said. "I've got a lot of friends in Perth and most of them are in the side we are playing."
After losing Mitchell and Wallabies playmaker Matt Giteau (Brumbies) in the off-season, the Force was hit by a spate of injuries, including Andre Pretorius, Cameron Shepherd, David Pocock and Richard Brown.
"They recruited reasonably well. Unfortunately for them, they had some pretty big blows early in the year," Mitchell said.
"You take that many starting players out of any Super 14 side and you'd see them struggle. We are under no illusions that the Force are going to come out underdone this weekend.
"I don't think these guys are going to need too much motivating from John Mitchell. I know they are going to be right up for this game."


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