Roosters fullback Roger Tuivasa-Sheck was despondent about his performance against the Storm in the first week of the finals and revealed that a talking-to from his father about his approach got his head switched back on prior to his starring role in the win over Canterbury a week later.
Tuivasa-Sheck was particularly frustrated with his own performance because he said he was guilty of trying too hard to find a spectacular play and went away from his normal game. However he added the loss to Melbourne may just have been the reality check the whole squad needed at the right time.
"I'm a lot happier now [after the Canterbury game]. I felt like we had to go back to what we do and trust that our game actually works," Tuivasa-Sheck told NRL.com this week before flying up to Brisbane.
"We sort of went away from it in the Melbourne game but you feel a lot better when you've played your best and the best was your style and it worked for us so even better.
"After the Melbourne game my dad was giving it to me because I sort of went looking for something else and something more spectacular to do. He got into me when I went for a sauna and a swim. I don't usually do that so that's where it got me. I was so chilled and tried to go looking for a spectacular finals preparation where I should just do my normal base."
Tuivasa-Sheck said his father then told him after the Bulldogs game to just continue to trust in his own preparation and own style.
"I felt like I was too relaxed and too cruisy in the last game [against Melbourne] and this game [against Canterbury] I sort of performed well at training and went hard at training and it worked on the field."
He said the Storm loss was the wake-up call that not only he but the whole team needed.
"It was hard; the boys we all know what to do but sometimes we forget about our own style and see if we can just fancy this game but definitely went back to our own style last week.
"We forgot to earn our rights and especially with players like Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk they made us pay for our relaxed and chilled style.
"It's never a good thing to lose a game but it sort of worked well for us, everyone's more aware now and excited to have the hype in the team and coming to training excited and ready to play."
The youthful enthusiasm for the game and for his soon-to-be-former teammates is evident in every word the Warriors-bound Kiwi speaks.
"We're starting to fall in love with these Friday games because it's just around the corner and we can get straight into it," Tuivasa-Sheck smiled.
"I get excited for these away trips, all of us as a group just walking through the airport, on the bus singing our songs, on the way to the hotel, we're just all together."
The fullback said he couldn't wait to go for a walk down Brisbane's Queens Street Mall to soak up the finals atmosphere among the parochial locals.
"You've definitely got to go in a pack though, I don't want to go on my own!" he laughed.
"They're real passionate about their footy, it's good for the game. I can't wait for the atmosphere and how it's going to be.
"It will be tough to go up there and they're feeling fresh and got the crowd behind them, it's definitely a big challenge for us but I'm keen for it, I'm keen to go up there and play them."
