JARROD Nyssen is at Walters Park two hours before Lake Macquarie training starts most days.
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The 26-year-old practices his goal-kicking, restarts, kicking in general play and other unit skills.
Each week, he pores over two, sometimes three, videos of the next opposition. He finds patterns, identifies weaknesses, makes mental notes.
The fly-half is invested in every game he plays
"That is just me," Nyssen said. "I go to training two hours early and am there until it finishes. I watch videos ... anything to find an edge. I finished school a year early, moved away from home and made the New Zealand Harlequins under-17 (development) team. They showed me what I needed to be doing."
His preparation hasn't wavered during stints in England, home in New Zealand, Sydney and now with Lake Macquarie.
At Walters Park for a second time, the Kiwi has been instrumental in the Roos' transformation from whipping boys to premiership contenders.
"I played the 2013 and 2014 season with Lake Macquarie but the rugby wasn't flash then," Nyssen said. "I had an opportunity to play in the Shute Shield with Parramatta and ended up meeting my missus down there and having a family. This year, I was looking at going to Gordon but was pretty sick of Sydney rugby. I wanted more of a family environment. The Roos gave me a call and said we have a nearly a whole new team and we are looking to win it. They haven't won a competition yet and I wanted to be a part of that."
Lake Macquarie player coach Gareth Polamo won first grade premierships at Eastwood and knows what it takes to make a successful team.
"Jarrod provides more direction for the group and has a good understanding of the game," Polamo said. "His work ethic probably goes unnoticed. He spends hours practicing and has a high work rate in games which shows in the number of tackles he makes. He has a proactive approach which has helped the players around him understand what their roles are."
Nyssen played a large chunk of last season in first grade for Parramatta and has been impressed by the standard of the competition here.
"I don't think it is too far off Sydney to be honest," he said. "The win over Nelson Bay was probably the most physical game I have played in Australia. When I spoke to Gareth before I came up, he was keen put some structures around the team. It's not something that the Roos are used to; being told where to go and how to go. It has taken about four games for the boys to adjust. Now we are used to it, have a bit of fitness, and are loving it. "
