Simple message: We must dig ourselves out of this hole

The message around the team has been simple this week.

We have got ourselves into this hole, and we are the only ones who can get ourselves out, starting with the Dragons clash today.

Our position is not where any of us expected to be after eight rounds, but that’s behind us now.

We have to look forward. People have been saying our confidence looks a bit down, but that’s normal, especially when you have been in some close contests and not quite got there, such as against the Rabbitohs and Storm.

Be we can’t sit around feeling sorry for ourselves; there are still 16 rounds to go and we need to make sure we are in every game.

Winning fixes everything. But from being in our situation, no one wins pretty. You need to scrap and fight and try to get a result.

That’s what I told the team this week in our post-training debrief.

Training was spot on, high intensity and focused, and that’s what we need to take to the game. We can’t just turn it on in patches and hope things will turn around.

That happened last week against the Knights; we were quite good with the ball, especially in the first half, but allowed them to roll down the field far too easily. The most disappointing aspect of that performance is we were out-enthused in our stadium.

It’s something we talked about a lot coming into this season — making Mt Smart a fortress — and we can’t afford to let that happen again.

Kodi Nikorima has fitted in really well. He’s already familiar with a lot of the players here and is a natural footy player, so adapts quickly. When you are training with him, you notice his speed and ability to create uncertainty in the defensive line.

We’ve already had a few chats and my message to Kodi has been quite simple — I’ll put him in as many positions as I can where he can take players on and play eyes-up football.

People have been a bit surprised by Issac Luke being dropped this week but it reflects the competition in the squad. And we are two from eight, so if the coach feels we need to make a change, he’ll make a change.

I was sad to hear about the domestic situation with Curtis Scott at Melbourne. He made his debut alongside me at the Storm and he’s a great young kid.

It’s not easy these days for young players; so many talk shows, coverage, opinions and it’s sometimes hard to ignore. I wasn’t good at handling the pressure as a young player, that’s partly why I went to England for a fresh environment.

Playing the Magic Round was one of the highlights of my Super League experience and I’m glad the concept has come to the NRL. It’s a fabulous idea and I know the fans loved it in England. Hopefully it becomes the same spectacle here, and they can make it bigger and better. It’s certainly different to have all the teams in one place, and with three other teams at our hotel (Roosters, Cowboys and Titans), it’s an interesting experience.

But coach Stephen Kearney will be making sure it doesn’t steal any of our focus. The Dragons have really strong back rowers, a top-class hooker and pace out wide and at the back. We will need to be at our best to combat their threats and we are ready for a big performance.