Nic White: All the little things matter as Western Force try and turn around our recent road record

Saturday’s win over Moana Pasifika was a massive high. From the jaws of defeat, we showed true West Aussie grit and determination to find a way to win. A lot has been made of Ben Donaldson’s try and rightly he gets the limelight, but internally we pointed out that there were 124 involvements, 26 phases and about five minutes of possession prior to that, which allowed Donno to have his moment to win us the game. The clean-outs, the carries, the passes, the guys getting off the ground quickly and into position. It was all about grit and care. The little things matter. We’ve leaned into that, but also made sure we’ve moved on pretty quickly. We weren’t perfect on the weekend, and we know that. There’s a lot to improve on. From Monday onwards, it’s been about us and how we go to Canberra and put our game on them. The big theme has been “show ours, test theirs”. The Brumbies are a really good side. I know that well, I spent 10 years there. When you go to Canberra, a lot can be made about them, how they play, why they’re good. Internally this week, we’ve flipped the script and made it about us. We know that if we play our way, we can mix it with anyone home or away. Scoring 45 points last week showed that. Obviously defensively there’s a few things to fix. Again, the little things matter. Externally a bit has been made of our away record. For us, it’s a new group of players and it’s a new season. It’s not something we’ve spoken about as a playing group this week. It’s about staying present. We’re on to the next job. If you keep looking back at the past, you get a sore neck. If you look too far ahead you miss what’s in front of your nose. While the players haven’t discussed it, the coaches and sports science team did in the off-season and they’ve changed a few things as we look to do things differently this year. We front-loaded this week. We had Monday off, ripped in at training on Tuesday and Wednesday and then flew Thursday. In the past, we’ve trained in the morning of the day we’ve flown. That did make for a big day and zapped you a bit. When we touched down in Canberra, we flushed it out with a watt bike session, a stretch and some time in the pool to be feeling fresher. During our captain’s run on Friday we’ll go a bit faster. Everyone in Perth knows travel takes its toll. It’s like a training load. I’m looking forward to seeing the benefits of those changes. They may seem like little changes, but like those 124 involvements before Donno’s try, with travel and preparation, the little things matter.