Ruben Wiki: Positive thinking despite defeat first-up

Immediately after the loss to Manly last weekend, we all just wanted to get back on the field and play our next game.

It's important we learn from what went wrong but we also shouldn't dwell on it for too long. It's easy to forget that it's just one game of a very long season and there were a number of positives that came out of it.

The platform we set was great and we got into Manly's half pretty easily. We defended well, our fitness was excellent and we hung in there until the final whistle.

In the end it was just one of those days when the bounce of the ball didn't go our way. It could so easily have, and we would all be talking about how we had got off to a good start.

Another great aspect was the crowd support we received - they stayed right to the end. The crowd could become an important factor this season, acting much like a 14th player, and the only way we can guarantee that support is by winning. We've certainly got the talent and the depth to do that.

Terry Hill showed just what an asset he is for Manly this season. He might be on the wrong side of 30 but his experience means he's good at what he does and it's why he's been lured out of retirement.

As much as people might not like it, sledging is part of the game and there are few better in the business than Hill and his partner in crime John Hopoate. Anyone that comes up against them has to match up and not be intimidated.

I had a quiet kava after the game on Sunday as a way to wind down after taking the knocks of a hard match.

A lot of people have asked me about my love of kava and it dates back to the 1994 Grand Final win with Canberra.

Noa Nadruku introduced me to it the day after the win. He called the Fijian Embassy, which delivered a kava bowl in a limousine for Noa to put a brew together.

I've been dabbling in it ever since, particularly in the past three years, and I find it a great way to help get rid of soreness from a game and also a way to unwind.

When I get drug tested I tell them about it but it's completely natural and I'd rather drink kava than alcohol during the season.

I've got a 'connection' in Auckland I get the powder off and I've managed to get a few of the boys at the Warriors into it.

I take it most places with me and you can guarantee I put a brew together last night in Brisbane after the game against the Broncos.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY