Chiefs captain seeks answers
Chiefs captain Brodie Retallick is heeding the advice of sports psychologists as he looks to lead his team out of its Super Rugby slump.
It’s unfamiliar territory for the world-class second rower, whose team sit 0-4, ahead of hosting the Hurricanes in Hamilton tonight.
Not only can the 27-year-old never recall a time when he’s been in a team which has lost four games in a row, but the added burden of captaincy is also new to him.
With the Chiefs enduring a horrendous start and sitting dead last in the competition, the 75-test All Black admits he’s been working on ways to combat the angst of shouldering the load.
‘‘It’s definitely been, with what’s going on too, a bit harder to switch off at night time,’’ Retallick said. ‘‘It’s a challenge, and it comes with the role, so I’ve got to walk towards it and do my best to fix it.’’
Ahead of the season, Retallick had sounded out All Blacks skipper Kieran Read for captaincy advice, but now it’s been the wise words of local sports psychologist David Galbraith – who’s worked with the Chiefs for several years – along with All Blacks mental skills guru Gilbert Enoka.
‘‘Between me and him [Enoka] it’s pretty much just on a personal note, I relay to him some of the stuff I’m saying to the team, and he’s more worried about just making sure that I can dump it,’’ Retallick said.
‘‘That was the biggest one – not worrying about it come the end of the week and letting it affect my game, let’s put a bit of a structure there so I do my role as a captain throughout the week but come game time I’ve got to be able to play the best I can.’’
Despite the bleak start, Retallick was loathe to label tonight’s match as ‘must-win’.
‘‘If we look at the numbers, over the last two or three years the number eight team’s only won eight or nine games out of the whole competition. And there’s still 12 rounds left.
‘‘If you look at it like that it’s not do or die. Obviously we’d like to get a win on the board for our fans, for our franchise, for ourselves, but in terms of our season, we’re not there yet.’’
With the Chiefs in the predicament that they are, the timing of a 1996 heritage jersey for tonight’s game and a reunion of former players looks awkward, though Retallick said having inaugural captain Richard Turner presenting jerseys and having a chat to the team yesterday was inspiring.
A selection of Chiefs’ playing jerseys will be signed and auctioned off on Trade Me, with money going to the Chiefs Rugby Club Alumni – a programme established in 2017 by Retallick, Stephen Donald and Liam Messam to raise funds for players and their families who fall on hard times.