NRL 2020: Brad Fittler helps with Penrith mindfulness on way to the top
He was a key part of Penrith’s first premiership in 1991, now Origin coach Brad Fittler is having a major impact on the stunning rise of the Panthers as they shoot for finals glory.
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He helped win the club’s first premiership in 1991 and now, nearly 30 years later, Penrith legend Brad Fittler is playing a secret yet decisive role in the Panthers’ relentless push for another title.
You’ll see Fittler’s influence in Api Koroisau when he sits quietly before a game, meditating with headphones on. Or Liam Martin doing breathing exercises to focus his mind.
It’s all to do with calmness, visualisation and video yoga sessions for players.
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Fittler and close mate, Penrith head of performance Hayden Knowles, have spoken regularly for a decade about calming the mind – an initiative Knowles has now implemented at the Panthers, who have won a club-record 13 successive games this year.
“We do sessions where we breathe, visualise and meditate. There is a constant reminder about being present. It’s like: ‘Have you invested a bit of time today just to breathe?’” Knowles said.
“He (Fittler) is definitely playing a big part. In the last 10 years, he has been a huge influence on me and then I dare say I might have influenced others, like Nathan (Cleary) for example.
“There is a lot of Brad Fittler in what we do. Freddie and I share the same beliefs – that’s why we work well together. He is a beauty, mate, I bounce things off him all the time.
“The players all have their own ways to do it. Before a game, you’ll see Api Koroisau sitting there with headphones on meditating and you’ll see Liam Martin sitting back with his eyes closed doing some breathing and doing some focus stuff.
“At Penrith, we care about everything and the mind is a big part of that. There is nothing at our place that the boys don’t fully commit to – they are all in on everything. This is one area.
“If you ever talk to Freddie, you’ll hear him say ‘breathe’. You know, even in your own job, you can go through days with so much s..t on your mind…have you actually taken a minute just to breathe and focus on what is important right now?”
And staying calm has certainly helped Penrith’s younger guns in high-pressure and tense games.
“Some guys might do 10 minutes of meditation, other guys might breathe and focus on being present. You could do that at home with your kids or your family,” Knowles said.
“We care about the mind as much as we do the physical. The boys definitely work on that. The boys have invested time and front loaded that part of the mental game and they stay pretty calm and grounded.
“We always practice being calm. That is probably a reflection of Ivan (Cleary) too, he is very calm. Back during the COVID break, I would ask them every day if they had ‘practised calm’ today.
“Sometimes that is practising breathing, meditation, yoga, you can ‘practice calm’ in the middle of a training session.
“You can practice the mindset stuff all day, every day. You encourage that and you do little breaking sessions, visualisation sessions. There’s no magic to it – you either buy into it or you don’t.
“In the performance area, we care about everything and the mind is definitely one that we care a lot about.”
Sydney yoga-instructor Rosalind Evans is sending the players video workouts.
Evans has previously worked the NSW State of Origin side.
“Since COVID, the boys get in the change room and they get theirs mats out. We have a big TV screen and we do yoga with her on prerecorded vision she sends us,” Knowles said.
Martin turns from battler to hero
He is the competition’s most improved player and even more influential than the dynamic Viliame Kikau according to Penrith premiership winner Luke Lewis.
The previously unheralded Liam Martin has developed into one of the most important players in the Panthers premiership quest after starting the year fighting for a starting jumper.
He made his debut last year playing 16 games and Lewis, who also won a premiership with the Sharks, expected Martin to be a reliable first grader.
“He is the most improved player in the competition by far,” Lewis said.
“Last year I thought he was a good player but I thought he was a straight up and down player. His game has gone to a whole new level. I was expecting a really solid first-grade player but he is turning into a speculator one.”
So good has Martin’s form been this year that ex-Panthers skipper Lewis said he had overtaken fellow back-rower Kikau.
“He has probably gone past Kikau,” Lewis said.
“He can score tries and create opportunities out of his own end and has great footy awareness. Sometimes Viliame doesn’t carry as well coming out of his own end whereas Liam doesn’t shy away from doing the hard work from his end.
“He tries to change a game.”
The 23-year-old scored a try during Penrith’s 20-2 win against Parramatta on Friday night snatching a Nathan Cleary bomb which he said was aided by playing AFL as a youth.
Martin said it was mentality more than anything which had helped revamp his performances.
“Last year I was a bit low on confidence pretty much,” Martin told ABC Grandstand.
“I was going into games not hoping to make mistakes, this year I was seeing where I can make a difference to the team.
“There is no better feeling when you’re winning. From where we went last year to losing six games in a row it’s ingrained in us that we don’t want to be in that position again.”
Record streak on the cards
Penrith can go on and claim the longest winning streak of the NRL era by remaining unbeaten for the rest of 2020 — including the grand final.
That’s the opinion of former Penrith premiership-winning forward Martin Lang, who alongside club legends, title winners and Hall of Fame inductees believes the first-placed Panthers are on a collision course with history.
“I can’t see them (Penrith) being beaten,’’ Lang said.
“I really can’t. You hear people saying; “Do they need a loss?’”
“No, they don’t need a loss. They’re playing fearlessly and momentum is everything.
“Their defence is good and their attack is unbelievable.
“They’re not intimidated by anybody. The Roosters have won the last two premierships and Melbourne are always there, but history suggests you need to be taking momentum into the grand final.
“Against Parramatta, they were patient and they were methodical.
“The big thing is, they don’t panic. I think it will be a Penrith-Roosters grand final.’’
Having secured a club record 13-consecutive victories by beating Parramatta on Friday night, Penrith have locked-in an important home final and their first minor premiership since 2003 is a fait accompli.
Remarkably, they also don’t have a single injury inside their top-30 roster and suitably the TAB have installed the mountain men $3.25 favourites to lift the Provan-Summons trophy on October 25.
With the 14th-placed Cowboys and last-placed Bulldogs their remaining two opponents of the regular season, Penrith would then need to win three more games to win their first premiership in 17 years.
If they were to remain unbeaten in 2020 it would amount to an incredible 18-consecutive wins — which has not been achieved since the NRL era began in 1998.
Two members of Penrith’s 2003 premiership-winning side, Luke Lewis and Scott Sattler, said there was no reason why Ivan Cleary’s brood of elite local juniors, premiership-winners and Origin players couldn’t take this year’s title.
“I can’t see how they can’t win the grand final,” Lewis said.
“They have got everything. Their combination between the 7-6-9-1 is perfect.
“Even the guys sitting on the bench are ready to go and would be starting in any other team.
“My biggest fear is if they lose two vital cogs of their side — Nathan (Cleary) or Api (Koroisau).
“If they keep everyone fit I can’t see why they can’t win the grand final.”
Sattler, the 2003 grand final hero, said he saw plenty of similarities in the current side with his team which defeated the Roosters for the premiership.
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“By far and away they are the most fluid team in the competition,” Sattler said.
“They haven’t been hampered with any key injuries which was like us. We had 75 per cent of our team play nearly every game that year.
“The biggest question is do they have enough experience in the big games when the finals come around.
“It was no different to what people said about us.”
Club legend Mark Geyer and Penrith Hall of Fame inductee Royce Simmons said the unity and belief within Cleary’s team was also reminiscent of premiership sides of the past.
“There’s a lot of comparisons with the 2003 team,’’ Geyer said.
“Even down to the father-and-son combination of then and now with the Langs (John and Marty) and now the Clearys (Ivan and Nathan).
“They’ve got an influx of local juniors who have all won together at a young age and they’ve got the imports in (Api) Koroisau, (Zane) Tetevano, (Kurt) Capewell and (James) Tamou, who have been in premiership sides.
“Yes, there‘s still some footy to be played, but I can’t see a reason why they can’t win it.’’
Simmons added: “I think they’ve got areas to focus on that need correcting, just small lapses in defence and I have no doubt they can fix it.
“They’re an outstanding group of young men — even off the field — and that says a lot to me about respect for who they are and what they represent.
“If you go back over Penrith’s history of grand finals, it’s when they’ve stuck with our local juniors — and that’s why there’s such a bond and belief here that they can do something special.’’
PANTHERS PRAISED BY GREATS
Luke Lewis - 2003 premiership-winner
“They have got everything. Their combination between the 7-6-9-1 is perfect.
Greg Alexander - Penrith Hall of Fame inductee and captain of 1991 premiership team
“13-straight wins is incredible. And they’ve done it in a lot of different ways, they’ve led early, they’ve come over the top of teams and against Parramatta they had to battle. They’ve just got that belief.
Royce Simmons - Penrith Hall of Fame inductee and 1991 premiership winner
“If you go back over Penrith’s history of grand finals, it’s when they’ve stuck with our local juniors - and that’s why there’s such a bond and belief here that they can do something special.’’
Mark Geyer - 1991 premiership-winner
“There’s a lot of comparisons with the 2003 team, even down to the father-and-son combination of then and now with the Lang’s (John and Marty) and now the Cleary’s (Ivan and Nathan). Yes, there’s still some footy to be played, but I can’t see a reason why they can’t win it.
Martin Lang - 2003 premiership winner
“I can’t see them being beaten. They don’t need a loss - they’re playing without fear with great attack and defence and momentum is everything.
Scott Sattler - 2003 premiership hero
“By far and away they are the most fluid team in the competition. They haven’t been hampered with any key injuries which was like us (in 2003).