Let it go: How a shift in focus helped RTS run Storm ragged

Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has achieved what many can only dream of in his storied NRL career, including a premiership with the Roosters in 2013 and a Dally M Medal in 2018. 

However, he admitted that letting go of his single-minded focus on lifting a premiership in his final year at the Warriors was key to turning his form around in the statement win over the Storm.

Lining up in the centres, RTS scored a try, made 145 metres and broke five tackles in the Warriors' first victory over Melbourne in 17 games.

Not only did the win break an AAMI Park hoodoo that dated back to 2014, it also snapped a wobbly two-game period where the Warriors were defeated by the Sharks and Wests Tigers. 

It was announced last month that Tuivasa-Sheck will be moving to Wakefield Trinity in the English Super League at the end of the season. 

“Now that I've announced that this will be my last year, my mindset was 'it has to be this year. It has to be now',” Tuivasa-Sheck told NRL.com. 

“I felt like I started to overdo things. I tried to do too much, rather than my job. Tonight, I focused on just doing my job the best that I can do, and bringing energy. 

“It brings a better result than trying to do everything bigger and better, and trying to solve all the issues, and trying to score a try every set. I was just trying to do too much. I feel like that’s where I went wrong the last two weeks.” 

The four-time Warriors player of the year said that the team rallied together and refused to feel intimidated in the face of travelling to AAMI Park. 

“Coming to Melbourne in the past, you can already feel defeated knowing what you're up against,” he explained. 

“You know the history, the reputation that Melbourne still have. You know they’re a top four, top three, top two team most years. You have to come there and take it from them. 

“We had a little rev-up about the streak on our last day before coming here, but most of the talking came from how poor we performed against the Sharks. That's where it started for us.  

“We look back at that game and how disappointed we all were as individuals – the way we played, the way we defended - and we were really gutted how that played out.  

“It was a lot of a lot of work done in training and on our defence. We all had to aim up, because we came to Melbourne to win.” 

Keeping hold of what the team learned from the victory, and staying together, will be the key going forward for Tuivasa-Sheck. 

“We work on our connection. Because it doesn't really matter what how we play, what shape we put on, what defensive system we have. If we do it together, it wins every time,” he said. 

“NRL is a tough game. You’ve got to turn up and play tough. You’ve got to do it week in, week out. It was an unreal performance but now the challenge is do it again and again every week.”