NEW Zealand rugby union captain Kieran Read has crossed the code demarkation line to address the Warriors on mental toughness.
Read, who has played 109 times for the All Blacks, visited the NRL side at a pre-season camp and even posed for photos in a Warriors jumper.
“(The) coaching staff got in touch and said ‘do I want to come down and speak the boys?’,” Read told the Warriors’ website.
“Here I am. It’s pretty cool. I jumped at it, always been a fan of the Warriors, ever since I was a little fella. I’m enjoying the opportunity.
“They’re a team that throws the ball around and really loves just expressing themselves. That’s why I loved them back in the day, similar now.”
Footage shown along with a video interview indicated Read had shared a powerpoint presentation on mental preparation.
He continued: “So for me I was just coming in and helping them out with a little bit of that expectation that we have as an All Black is similar to what they have in the competition.
“So, trying to help them a bit with the mental side of the game. Just a little chat and hopefully they took a little bit out of it.
“In all top level sport it comes down to … the mental side of sport is the difference between the really top guys and the guys who are potentially just under that.
“That’s the difference. I guess we do pretty well at the All Blacks and, speaking to a few of the boys here, they’re pretty keen to get a little bit of inside knowledge that can rub off on them.”
