For Brett Robinson Medal winner Rob Valetini, what he does off the field has become just as important as what happens when he pulls on a Brumbies or Wallabies jersey.
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The 23-year-old has become an integral member of Dave Rennie's forward pack after a career-best season at the Brumbies, and said maximising his downtime had been the key to unlocking his best rugby.
"It's pretty hard with COVID and what not, I guess when we're not training, [it's] just trying to get away, head down to the beach and trying to get away from training," Valetini said.
"You know you're always around doing training, on your computers doing your homework. It's just trying to get a break from rugby because you think about rugby too much it can play a big role in over thinking the game."
Valetini claimed his first Brett Robinson Medal this week, as the man voted Players' Player by his peers.
"It meant a lot for me, obviously rugby's a team sport but to get the reward and get voted by the boys that you put in the hard work with day in day out, I'm truly grateful," Valetini said.
"Every week I put that jersey on, I just try to go out there and do my job. I was grateful to have the boys alongside me, the whole 15 - just trying to go out there and do our job."
The powerful flanker played the opening 63 minutes in Sunday's nail-biting win over world champions South Africa, and returned to the field in time for Quade Cooper's heroics which booted the Wallabies to a much-needed win - their first this spring.
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It was a fairytale finish for the returning Cooper, who struck his penalty sweetly from 40m out to down the Springboks.
Cooper replaced young Brumby Noah Lolesio at flyhalf for the Springboks clash, and is expected to retain the number 10 jersey in Saturday's rematch at Suncorp Stadium.
"Quade's an experienced head and I think Noah's probably fortunate to have somebody like Quade in this team, somebody he can learn off and that's only going to help him and get better," Valetini said.
Cooper said training with the likes of Lolesio had allowed him to return so successfully to the international scene.
"You've got great young players [like] Noah," Cooper said.
"Being able to have conversations with him through the week about his game, about where he is as a man, some of the lessons and life lessons that I've been able to go through, be able to shed some light on some of those and for him to be able to get to know me better as a person and as a man."
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
