Mitchell Pearce will not be affected by the stream of criticism that has come his way following NSW’s State of Origin failure, according to his NRL coach Brian Smith.
The Sydney Roosters halfback has borne the brunt of criticism from frustrated and disappointed fans after NSW’s record seventh successive series defeat, and Smith said Pearce was preparing to respond in the best way possible – on the field.
“He has already been there and done that and none of it will worry him,” Smith said.
“Mitchell has always been pretty honest about how he has been performing this season before the Origin series and that hasn’t changed. That type of criticism is always unfair. It is just another factor to deal with for him.”
“He doesn’t worry about himself too much, he is a real team player and that is what he is concerned about the most. His focus has been for NSW and we are now looking forward to having him back and his focus back on what we are trying to do.”
Despite the Roosters’ lowly 14th place on the NRL ladder, Pearce has held his own at club level this year. He is ranked fifth for line-break assists so far this year with 12, and eighth for try assists, with 12 also.
Smith said he was prepared for the emotional letdown that players could suffer after returning from the Origin arena, but warned that Pearce was set to answer his critics with a strong showing against the Todd Carney-inspired Cronulla on Monday night.
“It will have been very emotional for all of NSW’s players and the challenge for them is to get the focus back when they return (to club football),” Smith said.
“Origin is as big as anything in Australian sport and the players can come back completely wiped out. But I think, come Monday night, he will be out there to have a big game.”