‘Big old placebo effect’: Jillaroos’ pre-game ‘whoopee cushion’ ritual raises eyebrows

The Jillaroos were dominant in their 90-4 thumping of England and it left many wondering if a secret pre-game ritual played a large part.

The Jillaroos were clinical in their 90-4 drubbing of the old enemy England on Sunday but their pre-game ritual raised more than a few eyebrows.

Before the match, the Jillaroos were filmed in their changing rooms inhaling and exhaling from large green balloons before cameras cut away.

However, it raised the question of what on earth were they doing and news.com.au has done some digging and has the answer.

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The bags the Jillaroos were seen with are most commonly used in hospital ICUs, so it is no surprise the sight of some of the fittest women needing them before the game left many scratching their heads.

The bags are often used in the ICU for manual hyperinflation of the lungs for secretion removal – clearing the airways almost like a cough does – for patients struggling to breathe effectively on their own.

However, for athletes, the bags are believed to help increase lung capacity and aid in secretion clearance, which in turn assists in athletes controlling their breathing in-game thus allowing them to go harder for longer.

And while NRL Physio Brien Seeney was as surprised as anyone to see the bags, he said a focus on breathing has become increasingly trendy in the sports space.

However, whether it actually increases performance or is more of a placebo effect he says is debatable.

“Imagine a hot water bottle or a whoopee cushion. It looks like a whoopee cushion with a little tube off the end,” Seeney said on The Magic Sponge podcast on Sunday.

Jillaroos pre-game method raises eyebrows. Image: Fox Sports

“You see them more in the ICU and hospital settings but I think breathing has become a big performance thing that they want to address now.

“Like we see all the teams get in the huddle after scoring a try and the do the big All Blacks breathe in and breathe out.

“There are some physios, rehab people who are into breathing as like this massive thing now like you have a shoulder problem, yeah okay we’ll do this treatment but also lets sort out your breathing.

“So breathing is a big thing, so I’d say it’s some sort of breathing exercise to get your diaphragm and different muscles going before the game.

“But yeah, very very strange, very very strange.”

The Jillaroos blew England off the park on Sunday. Image: Getty

The Magic Sponge co-host James Kurtz added: “Maybe it’s a relaxation thing, maybe it’s getting in the zone it’s hard to know.

“So I don’t know what’s going on there. Probably just a big old placebo effect by the look of things, a lot of these types of things generally are.”

The Jillaroos players are not alone in their bid to use breathwork to their advantage.

Breathing huddles after tries have been scored is now commonplace in the NRL.

While Broncos star Reece Walsh revealed last week that he has adopted several breathing techniques in a bid to improve his game.

Walsh not only sleeps with tape over his mouth and wears nasal strips to boost airflow but also adopts different breathing techniques.

Reece Walsh says he is experimenting with nose strips and mouth tape in a bid to enhance performance. Picture: Patrick Woods.

The main method he uses is called ‘box breathing’ – something used by US Navy SEALS to remain calm in high-pressure situations.

It is where an individual exhales, inhales and then holds their breath at regular intervals.

“The best athletes in the world are all doing a thing called box breathing which is something we spoke about (at the Broncos) when we went in camp,” Walsh told AAP.

“It’s something I am getting into.

“For me, it is all about maximising my full potential and trying to find stuff that works. You don’t know unless you know if you get what I mean. So you just dive in and have a crack.

“I have a nose strip which just opens up your nasal passages and allows you to breathe better.”