What Are The Odds?

Soaking wet and cold from the wind and rain that so frequently accompany an Auckland winter, I watch as the two teams leave the field for the halftime break. I applaud my team before returning to the seat that I have been fortunate enough to call my own for the last eight years. Halftime entertainment has never really appealed to me, but occasionally a few balls are kicked into the stands, and I've never been one to turn down the opportunity to get something for free.

On this particular occasion, one of the balls actually starts heading directly for me. I can hardly believe my luck - in all the years of supporting my team, I have never had such a realistic chance at winning a prize. Everything around me morphs into slow motion and the noise of my fellow fans grow dull as I rise up out of my seat, the ball approaching, gently gliding and spiralling towards my outstretched hands. And then, just as it arcs back down towards my waiting arms, it is plucked out of the air by my vertically inferior wife who has been sitting in the seat to the very left of my own.

I am, of course, happy for her, although I can't hide the fact that I was so close and yet so far. And to make matters worse, this feat is repeated at the very next game! This time, however, it isn't my wife who catches the ball, but my father - the same man who only two years earlier suffered a double heart attack!

Instinctively, my gaze lifts to the skies, as if to question the very heavens about such bad luck. They smile back in a hollow manner, the clouds themselves almost shifting to form the words “tough luck, kid”.

But of course, the rugby league gods don't even exist...right?

Whether or not they do, superstition plays a major part in the thirteen man sport. Sometimes it takes the form of a lucky item, and often as a specific method of preparation. Sporting ‘gods’, ‘hoodoos’, and ‘bogey teams’ are quickly introduced as part of the ever present psychological battle that wages both on and off the field within the mind of every player in every team.

For example, Warriors rookie Grant Rovelli is always careful to ensure he has his favourite towel, adorned with the image of a tiger, with him in the changing rooms before every match. Comparatively, Penrith halfback Craig Gower has a five minute nap before directing his impressive forward pack and striking fear into the opposition.

Lesley Vainikolo takes a very different approach: "I have quite a strict pre-match ritual which I do before every game," says the Bradford Bulls winger. "I read three passages from the Bible. I then place it on my jersey before saying a prayer. I then kiss the Bible and put on my jersey. I've been doing that for the past three years."

Whether the towel, brief rest, or pieces of scripture actually affect a player's ability is debatable. But one thing is clear - they all make the buildup that much more important to the individual involved.

According to New York-based sports psychologist Richard Lustberg, such unorthodox methods of preparation are a coping mechanism designed by athletes in their eagerness to succeed.

“Athletes begin to believe, and want to believe, that their particular routine is enhancing their performance,” says Lustberg. “In reality, it’s probably just practice and confidence that’s making them perform better.”

Lesley Vainikolo shares the same view: “My faith is very important to me and it gives me confidence when I'm out on the pitch.”

And so, it would seem, rugby league coaches would do well to embrace such practices, such as when former Warriors coach Daniel Anderson who, while not a religious man himself, went to church with several of his Polynesian players in an open endorsement of their beliefs. So Craig Gower’s naps should be encouraged, along with fellow Panther Rhys Wesser’s habit of yelling before a match, because anything that builds a player’s confidence – and therefore increases the quality of football on the field – makes for a more exciting contest and a greater advertisement for the game.

My head lowers to a normal level, and I watch as the two teams return to the field. The rugby league ‘gods’ may not exist, but their influence is very real indeed.

If only they could help me catch a ball!

Sources:
“Bradford’s Volcano Talks Rugby League”, Lesley Vainikolo, http://www.bbc.co.uk/, 6 September 2005
“Some Lucky Charms Are Magically Delicious”, Jason Carney, http://www.psychologyofsports.com/
“Onward Christian Soldiers”, http://www.smh.com.au/, Jessica Halloran. 30 April 2005

***Published in Issue One of Super League Magazine, 2007***