SYDNEY - Former All Black Brad Thorn's awkward introduction to rugby has given him heart ahead of the Brisbane Broncos' NRL semifinal against the Wests Tigers.
The Mosgiel-born double international is confident the Broncos can spike a six-match losing streak at Aussie Stadium in Sydney tomorrow, believing that staying positive
is the key.
Thorn applied the same philosophy when he left the Broncos for rugby after winning the 2000 NRL grand final - only to discover the transition with the Crusaders was difficult.
Initially used as a No 8, Thorn struggled as the Crusaders slumped to 10th in the table in his inaugural Super 12 campaign.
He then controversially turned down a berth on that year's end-of-year Northern Hemisphere All Black tour, before eventually making the World Cup squad two seasons later as a lock off the bench.
"In New Zealand I did things tough for a while, but my response was to stay positive and just keep going. That's the way I feel now," the rugged second-rower admitted when quizzed about the Broncos' faltering form.
Leaders for much of the competition, the Broncos have fallen away alarmingly in recent weeks and have not experienced victory since a 24-18 win over the Canberra Raiders on July 30.
Still, Thorn is confident the expansive Tigers can be tamed to enhance a personal finals history that features five wins from seven games in Sydney between 1995 and 2000.
"I just know it's not in our nature to give up and I feel we have been doing a lot of things right," Thorn said.
"There's a belief we can turn things around. I don't know of any reason why we should be negative.
"This is a very good competition. Any team can be beaten on any given day.
"It's not as though we have been beaten by 40 points. All our losses have been pretty tight."
Thorn said the team's mood for the semifinal remained upbeat, despite the multiple setbacks.
"Everyone here feels great. It's just a matter of getting down to Sydney and doing our job.
"I have good memories of September in Sydney, and I'm excited about playing at Aussie Stadium again in a final."
- NZPA
