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Great article on Dane and rugby in Perth:
Not every player’s route to international rugby follows the same path, and how true that is for Dane Haylett-Petty.
The 27-year-old was one of a number of new faces introduced by Michael Cheika last year but few adapted as smoothly to the rise in standard that comes with playing international rugby for the first time.
Then again, Haylett-Petty showed up to his first Wallaby training camp ahead of the series with England having patiently waited for nine years to get a chance, learning the game in France and Japan before returning to Perth. Looking back now, the gamble paid off.
“It was a long grind. I’ve been playing since I was 18, so had nine years of trying to achieve that goal of pulling on a Wallabies jersey,” Haylett-Petty told Planet Rugby.
“It meant a lot, as it must do with everyone pulling on their country’s jersey. Having had that goal, with ups and downs when there were times when I thought I was going really well or that I wasn’t going to get there, it was amazing to finally do it.
“You always want one cap, but once you get one you want to see how many you can get and how well you can do.”
His move from the Force to Biarritz is still an eyebrow-raising one, leaving Australia behind at the age of 21, until the reasons behind the switch from Super Rugby to the Top 14 are explained.
Haylett-Petty found himself waiting for a chance that wasn’t coming, so he did something about it, teaming up with household names in Dimitri Yachvili and Imanol Harinordoquy in the south of France.
“I was stuck behind a lot of Wallaby stars; Drew Mitchell, Cameron Shepherd, Scott Staniforth, Ryan Cross, all in our back three. So I spent a lot of time training and not a lot of time playing,” he explains.
“I was ready for a change and in Europe you play so many games there was a chance to get a go.
“I went over to Biarritz not really knowing what to expect, and probably not thinking about it too much until I was in a foreign country, didn’t speak the language, didn’t know anybody at the age of 21.
“It was a bit scary once I got there but it was an amazing experience, great for my rugby, learning from so many stars and we had a great team, lots of guys playing international rugby. I played a lot of footy, which you need when you’re young, so it turned out to be a good move.
“Playing a different style probably rounded out my game, made me a bit more comfortable. When it rains now in Super Rugby I’m not bothered.”
More often than not the Western Australia franchise are one of the first names mentioned when it comes to suggestions of how to trim down Super Rugby’s ever-expanding shape.
Unsurprisingly Haylett-Petty disagrees, and with a number of credible reasons why the Force deserve their place. Those discussions however are not being ignored by the players either.
“For the first time we have had to take note because SANZAAR have relooked at the competition. There have been positives with sponsors jumping on board and good signings, so we do feel like we are building,” he states.
“Although no doubt we have underperformed. In a lot of years, we could have done well but lost tight games. Now we have a squad with good talent and experience to convert those close losses into wins.
“If they were to reduce the competition, we feel like we have a better case than quite a lot of teams.
“There is a great market in Perth for rugby and a lot of support. We have a few challenges over in the west away from everyone else, but it gives us motivation.
“With the Australian market, we are in an AFL state, and we are one of the most travelled teams in world sport which is one of the issues.
“I suppose there are a whole host of issues, with other teams having bigger budgets and so on. It is not always ideal, but from our point of view there is no point making excuses.”
An undoubted positive for the Force however is having Haylett-Petty leading the charge going into 2017.
Considering that prior to last year Haylett-Petty had not even been part of a Wallabies training camp, let alone pushing for a start, the fact that he started all of Australia’s 14 Tests highlights not only Cheika’s faith in his performances, but how swiftly he adapted to playing at the top.
Which makes the big question, what changed in his approach?
“Over the last two years I have focussed a lot on the mental side, which doesn’t get enough attention,” he added.
“Most players and teams focus so much on small percentages from the physical and skills side. But working with the psychologists I made huge gains over the last two years.
“It set me up to perform at international level and made me feel like I had the tools to do my job. That was the biggest thing that changed from previous years when I was inconsistent.
“I felt like on certain days I was at the level to take the next step, but on others I wasn’t. It was the consistency that I focussed on. Taking positives one week and trying to grow into the next.
“When I was younger I didn’t quite have the tools to deal with the ups and downs of each week. Now I do.”
Whatever challenges the Force face this year, and there are bound to be many with those sceptical of their future in the competition monitoring their progress, Haylett-Petty’s perseverance has set an example to follow.
The more Force players that can follow his lead the better
Planet Rugby
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Originally Posted by GIGS20
