Brisbane Tens: Drew Mitchell says ‘I probably should’ve been flatlining’ after training hitout
THE prospect of coming out of retirement for the NSW Waratahs has former Wallaby winger Drew Mitchell’s heart racing — and not in an entirely good way.
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WHEN Drew Mitchell played Sevens for the Classic Wallabies against a Fijian legends team at the Sydney Sevens — while mic’ed up — it was pointed out in commentary that he was blowing pretty hard, and perhaps playing in the Brisbane Tens wasn’t the best idea.
“I thought: ‘Oh well, at least next week there will be three extra players next to me in Brissie’,” Mitchell said.
“And I will be tucked up in bed a lot earlier than I was on that weekend.”
Mitchell was yesterday named in the NSW squad for the Brisbane Tens, in an outfit containing Kurtley Beale and Curtis Rona but not Israel Folau, Bernard Foley, Michael Hooper or Nick Phipps.
The NSW team — skippered by Damian Fitzpatrick — will be full of rising stars looking to win Waratahs starting spots and one ex-Tah hoping to somehow recapture the athletic gifts of his former life.
The Brisbane Tens, though stacked with world-class talent from New Zealand, Japan, Australia and France, also features “wildcard” ex-players on most rosters.
Along with Mitchell, 44-year-old ex-Wallaby Andrew Walker will play for the Brumbies, Adam Freier will play for the Rebels and Carlos Spencer will return for the Blues. Pita Alatini and Carl Hayman will also play.
Last year’s tournament showed some wildcards thrive and others barely survive.
Mitchell, who last played in June last year for Toulon, is aiming for the middle.
“I have done a few sessions with the Tahs boys and they’ve been tough, I won’t lie,” Mitchell said.
“Last Friday, I wore a GPS and a heart-rate monitor and they say your (max) heart rate is 220 minus your age, so that makes mine 197, almost 196. I hit 198 on Friday.”
Is that good or bad?
“I should have probably been flat lining — I probably should have had a heart attack. But it also means I was having a crack,” Mitchell joked.
“No, it is probably most telling regarding my fitness that no one else’s was close to being that high.
“The biggest thing for me is the recovery after one game. Getting back up for the next, I will have to be pretty diligent on that. I am probably more concerned about hamstrings than I am about lung capacity.”
Keen to give the Waratahs his full focus, Mitchell has wound back plans to commentate for FoxSports and play as well.
A staggering 27 years after Eddie Jones debuted him for Randwick as a teenager, Walker will return for the Brumbies after turning in a star role last year at the Tens.
Walker, who still plays competitive rugby league, looked so good that coach Stephen Larkham “half-joked” about Walker coming back to the Brumbies as injury cover in Super Rugby.
Though Christian Lealiifano will not play, the Brumbies have named a pretty strong outfit with Wallabies Henry Speight, Kyle Godwin, Rory Arnold and Ben Alexander all included.
Originally published as Brisbane Tens: Drew Mitchell says ‘I probably should’ve been flatlining’ after training hitout
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