‘It’s easy to see everything as a negative but it doesn’t have to bethatway’
Q How are you keeping? A: Not too bad. I’ve probably got it a lot easier than most people. I’ve been able to keep myself busy enough with bits and pieces around the house that I have wanted to do but haven’t got around to before now, although there have been a couple of days here and there where I could quite easily have stayed in bed or on the couch all day. Q How have you been affected? A: As well as playing, I do loads of coaching which has also come to a standstill. So in that regard it’s been tough and, as I say, the motivation isn’t always there. You don’t realise how much you look forward to training, matches and just everyday life until it’s taken away, and now every day is the same — but it could be worse. I don’t have any family over here, so it hasn’t affected me in that way at all — which I am grateful for — and with regards to friends, it’s now all about video calls and quizzes, which is different, but actually quite fun. Q How are you keeping fit? A: I am probably quite lucky with the amount of equipment I have at home, so I have set up a little home gym. And with so many things online, doing home gym sessions is actually really easy, and with plenty of new ideas available all the time it’s not the same old thing every day. I suppose there is always that extra motivation when you’re in the gym in a team environment, which is missing at the moment, but I haven’t found it too hard to get sessions in and stay fit. Q How are you maintaining morale, yours and the team? A: We have group chats for both CIYMS and Northern Knights, and those chats are always active so there is constant communication between all the lads, which is great. With regards to personal morale, I have just tried to stay away from anything negative — TV programmes, movies, news, anything that could knock me down a bit has been removed from my daily routine. Instead, it’s a lot of comedies, uplifting podcasts, TV shows etc, to really just try to stay upbeat and positive about everything that I can. Q Where are you drawing your personal strength from now? A: To me, it just came from a mindset change. It’s very easy to see everything as a negative at the moment, but it really doesn’t have to be that way. If you can start seeing this as a great opportunity to improve yourself and make the most of this time at home, things become a whole lot easier. It’s not always the easiest thing to do, but if I just try and tick off one or two things per day that is going to make my life better when this is all over then, in my eyes, I am winning that day. Q Can you recommend a book, film or box set you think stay at home sports fans might like? A: I am not a massive reader so I don’t have too many recommendations there, but I did read a book last year on tour called ‘Relentless’ which I really enjoyed, although that’s more for players than fans. But the number of sports series on at the moment is incredible. ‘The Test’ is a must-see for cricket fans, I really enjoyed that. And the ‘All or Nothing’ series which follows different sports teams around the world (All Blacks rugby, Manchester City, various American Football teams) is also brilliant. They’re both on Amazon. And then on Netflix, I have only watched the first episode, but the new series on Michael Jordan looks absolutely brilliant (‘The Last Dance’). Q What life lessons are you learning from this? A: I think it has just taught me a lot about myself. Being able to sit back and review areas that I would like to strengthen, both on and off the sports field, is not always something you’re able to do because you have a game or tour coming up, or other work that needs to be completed urgently. So I think it’s been a really good time for me to just reflect and review and figure out what’s important and what needs improving in my personal life. Q What is the first thing you will do when all this is over? A: Have a barbecue with as many people as we’re allowed to have in one area. It’s probably the thing I miss most, just interacting and winding down over the weekend with friends. Q And your message to sports fans? A: I think we’re all very excited for sport to resume, but for now it’s just so important to be sensible and to look after yourself and those around you. A few months in the grander scheme of things is no time at all. This will all end, and when it does we’ll look back on it as a very strange memory. But until then, let’s hang tight and just stay positive together.