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7/2/2014
By Nathan Charles
We have come to the business end of the pre-season and tonight we take on Samoa A in our first trial game in Rockingham. Not only are the guys excited to be playing rugby again, but there are also quite a few smiles that this signals the end of what has been a tough but extremely productive pre-season.
This pre-season has really provided us with the direction that we want to head in as a team in 2014 and beyond, a strong team culture has been established, and all of the boys have worked tirelessly on the necessary on-field physical attributes to ensure we are making ourselves the best players we can be.
Samoa A will possess quite a few challenges and it will be the first external team we have played that don’t know our structures and plays. They will also test our newly-formed combinations in the team. As they are typically known for around the world their physicality will be another attribute that will put us in good stead as we head into the 2014 Super rugby campaign.
As for me, this game against Samoa A signals my first competitive game since I ruptured my ACL in the game against the Cheetahs in early 2013. It will have been ten-and-a-half months since I have run out onto the field for a game and I couldn’t be more excited, happy and nervous.
It has been a long rehab where I have had to start from scratch, which meant learning all the basics of moving my leg again and re-building all the muscle that had deteriorated. Not only were there physical challenges of getting my body back into the shape which I had been in which allowed me to compete at a high level, but there were many mental challenges along the way.
Having something you love so dearly ripped away from you in a moment then not being able to do it again for an extended period of time allows you to find out a lot about who you really are.
I had plenty of ‘demons’ during that time and there was nothing I could do to speed up the process to get back into playing; this meant I had to accept what had happened and instead of dwelling on it, decide how I was going to come back a bigger and better player.
It took me a little bit of time but I decided the latter, I used the time I had off to experience life in a way I had never experienced before, I decided to do other things which I wouldn’t normally do and the catchcry of the time that I adopted was ‘YOLO’ (you only live once).
During this time my life changed dramatically – for the better, I learned a lot about myself and the importance of having balance in life. This last point is the one thing that I think can help me become a better person and better player as I return to the game I love playing so much. I have learnt how to balance my life and to enjoy every moment as if it was your last, as I learnt it could all be over tomorrow so enjoy today.
Last but no least I would like to thank everyone for attending last week’s Force Fan Day and thank our fantastic fans for all the support you give us. As a club we recognise the importance of our supporters to a club and over the years I have been here I have formed many friendships with our fans and cherish every opportunity of playing in front of the Sea of Blue.
The Fan Day was a great success, it was fantastic to see so many of you there and to have a chat and discuss the upcoming season and how we have been training. From the people I talked to, the excitement expressed about the upcoming season was very infectious and fantastic to see. This year we aim to give you all many things to cheer about and I for one simply cannot wait to run out in front of the Sea of Blue once again.