CONOR MCGREGOR INSPIRES API TO STAY FROM PRE-GAME ROUTINES
Api Koroisau didn’t watch last Friday’s Storm-Raiders preliminary final... instead he binged Mr. Robot, an American drama series. Don’t stress though Panthers fans — it’s nothing out of the ordinary for the 27-year-old.
Koroisau has never been an avid footy watcher. Not because he isn’t interested, but as a tactic that’s turned him into the most instinctive No.9 in the game. “I figured it out pretty early on,” the Fijian Bati hooker told Foxsports.com. au.
“I never watched footy growing up and then when I did try and watch footy and study teams that just clouded me a little bit.
“I don’t want to get caught thinking they’re going to do other things because I’ve been watching them.
“It’s always good to be prepared so I do concentrate during video, but at the same time I take a pretty fresh approach when I go onto the field. I worry about what we’re going to do and how we’re going to play.”
UNIQUE APPROACH
It’s a unique approach — and very different to his teammate Nathan Cleary who is known for studying the game — but after 126 NRL games, Koroisau knows exactly what works for him. That also includes meditation. Koroisau has found an appreciation for meditating after initially learning back at the Rabbitohs in 2014.
He didn’t stick with it then but six years later he’s thrown himself into it and the results speak for themselves. Many have dubbed him the buy of the year for the way he’s helped transform Penrith’s attack. And his impact has carried over to off the field too with teammate Liam Martin revealing a week ago that he took up meditation after seeing what it’s done to the star hooker’s game.
“We (meditated) a fair bit back in 2014, I didn’t really carry on after but I sort of found my way back somehow,” Koroisau said.
“It really just took off for me when I realised the difference. I was listening to a few podcasts and it put me on the road again to how powerful the mind is and what it can do for you.
“Once that happened I just tried to convert it as much as I could into footy. This is probably the first year I’ve fully committed to it in pre-season and the season, it’s working out pretty well for me.
“I used to listen to music and could never nap on game day probably because of the adrenaline. Now it’s completely different, I put a meditation app on to try get myself to have a nap and then before the game I do another meditation session just to centre myself in the present.
“I was actually pretty proud when Liam said he was doing the same thing. He was, not lost, but just didn’t know what to do before games because he was bouncing around with heaps of energy.”
NO RITUALS
Meditation is as far as Koroisau will do though when it comes to pre-game routines. He says a champion fighter inspired him to drop any ritual or superstition — something he’s “pretty proud of.”
“Connor McGregor once said people use rituals as excuses when it doesn’t go right,” Koroisau said.
“Once he said that, I just dropped everything.
“I’ve been pretty proud of that as well because that then puts more of an emphasis on me meditating. It doesn’t matter what happens that day, what I eat or what I drink, meditation just brings me back to the present and I go from there.”
The Panthers will make their first grand final appearance in 17 years on Sunday. It’s fair to say they probably wouldn’t have had the hugely successful season — including 17 straight wins — that they’ve had if Koroisau joined the Bulldogs, like he was meant to.
The Bulldogs were in the box seat to land Koroisau’s signature after he was squeezed out of Manly. But then the Panthers came to the table with a trump card — the coaching combination of Ivan Cleary and Trent Barrett.
Koroisau played under Cleary during his first stint with the Panthers in 2015. He also played under Barrett at Manly for three years. Their coaching styles are ultimately what lured him back to the foot of the mountains.
LETHAL COMBO
Koroisau credits Barrett as particularly being a big influence on his form this year. The former Kangaroos fiveeighth has helped mould a lethal combination between Koroisau and Nathan Cleary, taking Penrith’s attack to another level.
“He’s been massive for me on and off the field. He helped me out at Manly a lot, helped me find some really consistent footy.
“He’s just a really good coach and knows how to use his players to get the best out of them.
“When he came here, he really changed our attack around. They were really good with off the cuff footy but it was good to get him in to bring some structure to play off the back of and I think it’s shown this year.
“There’s so many points coming out of this team and the boys are finding some really good form, it’s been the best form of their careers.”
That form will be put to the ultimate test as the young, vibrant Panthers take on the Storm on Sunday.
It’ll be Koroisau’s second grand final appearance having filled in for the suspended Issac Luke in South Sydney’s premiership win in 2014.
This time round Koroisau owns the No.9 jersey.
“There was just this feeling of guilt in the 2014 grand final. I knew it was Issac Luke’s team, he’d been there for five years and he’d been one of their best players the whole time so I felt really bad for coming in for him,” he said. “This one’s it’s weird, the only emotion I can feel is happy to go through a whole year with such a young crew, you find that love for football again, it sort of just builds even more just seeing how much these guys love it.”