Warriors captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck has turned to his church pastor and the teachings of self-help guru Tony Robbins in an attempt to cultivate his leadership of the beleaguered NRL club.
A surprise choice for the Warriors captaincy at the start of 2017, the 24-year-old fullback has played well in what has been a mostly difficult NRL campaign, with the Aucklanders facing their sixth straight year without finals football.
But basic errors have crept into Tuivasa-Sheck's game in recent weeks, something he attributes to trying too hard to lift a struggling side.
With star man Shaun Johnson injured, Tuivasa-Sheck has been forced to lead in attack - but has failed at times to connect with his fellow spine members Kieran Foran, Mason Lino and Issac Luke.
Captaining the Warriors as they stumbled from one limp defeat to another had been tougher than anticipated, but he didn't regret taking the reins.
He was doing all he could to improve his leadership - from talking with former Roosters teammates and confidants, such as 2013 Premiership-winning skipper Anthony Minichiello, to reading books and seeking spiritual guidance.
"I always speak with (former Warrior) Jerry Seuseu, our welfare manager, he's sort of directed me a lot - reading books about Tony Robbins and a lot of church stuff, it's the other stuff I like to do," Tuivasa-Sheck said.
"My leadership group are always there and the coach is always calling me, having good chats. I had no expectations of what it'd be like, there's so many captains I look up to, (but) the way they became great captains was by learning lessons."
Tuivasa-Sheck said that, without exception, each of his mentors gave the same advice - prepare yourself well, and others will follow.
It was a difficult lesson to internalise, he admitted, as the Warriors look to arrest a run of five straight defeats against Canberra on Sunday.
"I remember running out to training, warming up, and I'm always looking over and thinking, oh, make sure those guys aren't joking around - and then I'm dropping balls on the field and not doing what I'm supposed to," Tuivasa-Sheck said.
"Before you get the team right, you get yourself right."
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