Mitchell Pearce considers himself a believer.
Despite a bad run, the skipper always had belief that hard work would pay off. And it has!
With three wins on the trot, Pearce has helped steer the Newcastle Knights back on track from their slow start to the season.
Pearce puts hot form to hard work and teammate trust
He always knew it would come…. Eventually.
“I’m a believer, I felt like form was going to come,” he said.
“I’ve been around footy long enough to know a team that is good, and quality people and players.
“I knew with hard work and trusting what we’re trying to achieve, that we were going to start to get some form.”
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In previous weeks, the Knights captain copped a lot of criticism for his form.
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He knew he had to get back there.
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“I feel like I’ve got back to playing my best footy,” Pearce added.
“As captain, it’s my responsibility to set the example with a lot of the one per centres, competing and playing tough, and just trying to do the best for the team in that regard.
“Whenever you get criticism, something I pride myself on and something I grew up learning was to grit your teeth and keep fighting.”
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Staying calm and staying positive, the best way to deal with any criticism.
“I’d like to think I’m calm in some aspects,” Pearce explained.
“It is always tapping on your shoulder the dark side, so you’ve got to keep focused and keep working hard.”
Also crediting his team mates and coach for their sheer resilience.
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“As a team, we’ve got a bunch of guys who are pretty resilient characters,” he said.
“We lost five in a row and there was a real calm energy around.
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“To keep that sort of composure when the chips are down and turn it around for some positive results.
“We’re in a good place as a team and we’ve worked really hard to create winning feelings.
“We’ve found good form and a bit of an identity as a team.”
