Sitting high atop the NRL ladder, the Canberra Raiders are leaving nothing to chance as the club chases its first premiership since the days of Bradley Clyde and Mal Meninga.
According to first-year captain Joe Tapine, the Raiders playing group has pledged to keep off the booze until the end of the NRL season.
“We had a good talk around a week ago about the personal sacrifices you need to make,” Tapine, 31, told The Daily Telegraph as the club chases the prize of two home games during the NRL finals series.
“In terms of off the field, we spoke about not drinking anymore.”
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“It was driven by the leadership group, not Stick (coach Ricky Stuart), it’s far more powerful coming from the group,” Tapine explained.
“You don’t want to be told like a teacher telling you what to do as a kid.”
The Raiders have the bye this weekend, providing the perfect opportunity to recharge ahead of an intense end to the season.
“We can celebrate all we like once we have actually achieved something,” Tapine said.
“For us, it’s about making those sacrifices over the next six weeks or so, and hopefully we can do something great.”
Adding greater weight to the self-imposed drinking ban, it comes in the same season that saw Hudson Young and Morgan Smithies exchanging booze-fuelled blows at the Raiders team hotel in Las Vegas ahead of Round 1.
After a weekend off, Tapine and the Raiders return to action against the resurgent Penrith next weekend at Glen Willow Oval in Mudgee.