"Superstition is bull****" Whether you play well or badly in any particular week is entirely up to you and has nothing to do with following superstitious patterns or habits of any sort. Pandering to superstition can distract you from deciding what you are going to do better in this match than before.

Try to announce the exact positions that players will be playing in at least two days prior to the game so that they can mentally prepare themselves.

If the coach has to change things at the last minute, don't hang your head. Tell him you're pissed off, by all means, but channel that energy the game.

The team meeting is designed to make you aware of the general importance of the game and some specific details of opposition strengths and weaknesses or our own strengths and weaknesses. There is not enough time to have a team meeting after every training session.

Try to take five or ten minutes towards the end or the nights training session to discuss these things. Do not wait until the few minutes before a game starts because everyone is nervous and easily distracted and it does not provide enough time for you to mentally rehearse the game plan.

Avoid sitting in the sun prior to a game – it can make you lethargic.

When thinking about your own game don't just hope but visualise. However, visualise only the good things that you are capable of. Think through your deficiencies and work out exactly how you plan to remedy these in the forthcoming game (e.g. if you do not put on many tackles, go out of your way to put on a couple of early tackles in the game). Set goals of 4 tackles, 8"charges into packs", 12 run-bys for handballs (whether you receive the ball or not).

Before a game, ask yourself "if other members of the team where asked what they would like me to do during the game, what would they say?".

Mentally prepare yourself not by "hoping I play well" but by rehearsing all the events of the game. When you think of yourself lining up a shot of goals. think of yourself kicking it straight through the middle and not missing. Similarly, imagine yourself putting on two or three good tackles, bumps and smothers.

When thinking about the game, don't just think about winning. Think about what you will do if you get 5 goals ahead, if the game is close, if the opposition get a run on, etc. etc. i.e. have a plan in your mind for every possible eventuality, so that you are not surprised if that situation arises during the game.

If you have been making errors, don't "hope that you won't make them again", but specifically work out how to correct the problem and mentally rehearse the same situation again but include your rehearsed correction.

Don't function in "hope mode" but be specific to yourself. "I hope" and "if only.." are similar passive attitudes. Get out of the passenger's seat and into the driver's seat. that is "mental aggression".