Former Kangaroo forward Richard Villasanti says he lost enthusiasm for playing rugby league after staying two years too long at the New Zealand Warriors.
Villasanti, who signed with Cronulla this month after five-and-a-half NRL seasons at the Warriors, admits he contemplated taking time off from the game after being dumped to to New Zealand's Bartercard Cup.
But after returning "home" to Australia, the 25-year-old Canberra product said he is now ready to revive his career.
"I think I sort of was hitting a stale patch," said Villasanti, who has been named for his Sharks NRL debut this weekend after being included on the bench against the Bulldogs on Sunday.
"A lot of players, if they stay at the one club for so long, they sort of get stale and probably get complacent in the things that they're doing and I think that was the same with me.
"I probably stayed there maybe two years too long.
"But now, new club, fresh move, enthusiasm's back and to make things even better I'm back at home."
Villasanti, 26, played a test against New Zealand in 2003 after leading the Warriors' forwards in their charge to the 2002 NRL grand final.
He said his nose-dive into New Zealand's Bartercard Cup and the Warriors telling him he was free to move on at the beginning of the season were the result of both physical and mental pressures.
"I contemplated having a rest for a while, it is a big strain on your body and mind so I was thinking of having a rest but never giving it away," he said.
Villasanti was the first Warriors player to represent Australia, after plenty of fans had mistaken the 111kg front rower for a New Zealander.
That perception lives on.
"(Sharks coach) Stu Raper, as soon as I came here, he tossed me into the `Kiwi corner' in the locker room... `cause there's a few Kiwis here.
"What he's got to realise is I'm not Kiwi.
"I played junior Kiwis so I was eligible to play for the top side but that was only because my grandmother is a New Zealand resident, not a citizen.
"Playing for the Kiwis, that might come up later in the future but now I just want to play good for the club and rep footy is the furthest thing from my mind at the moment."
But he added he would aim for a New South Wales or Australian jersey before exploring his eligibility for New Zealand.
"Firstly I've got to get back in the top side and play regularly week-in, week-out and as I start to get match fit my form should speak for itself.
"You never know, things might happen at the end of the year if I have a good probably seven or eight weeks.
"You can't really look into the future but you can hope it turns out that way."
https://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/488120/715875
Villasanti, who signed with Cronulla this month after five-and-a-half NRL seasons at the Warriors, admits he contemplated taking time off from the game after being dumped to to New Zealand's Bartercard Cup.
But after returning "home" to Australia, the 25-year-old Canberra product said he is now ready to revive his career.
"I think I sort of was hitting a stale patch," said Villasanti, who has been named for his Sharks NRL debut this weekend after being included on the bench against the Bulldogs on Sunday.
"A lot of players, if they stay at the one club for so long, they sort of get stale and probably get complacent in the things that they're doing and I think that was the same with me.
"I probably stayed there maybe two years too long.
"But now, new club, fresh move, enthusiasm's back and to make things even better I'm back at home."
Villasanti, 26, played a test against New Zealand in 2003 after leading the Warriors' forwards in their charge to the 2002 NRL grand final.
He said his nose-dive into New Zealand's Bartercard Cup and the Warriors telling him he was free to move on at the beginning of the season were the result of both physical and mental pressures.
"I contemplated having a rest for a while, it is a big strain on your body and mind so I was thinking of having a rest but never giving it away," he said.
Villasanti was the first Warriors player to represent Australia, after plenty of fans had mistaken the 111kg front rower for a New Zealander.
That perception lives on.
"(Sharks coach) Stu Raper, as soon as I came here, he tossed me into the `Kiwi corner' in the locker room... `cause there's a few Kiwis here.
"What he's got to realise is I'm not Kiwi.
"I played junior Kiwis so I was eligible to play for the top side but that was only because my grandmother is a New Zealand resident, not a citizen.
"Playing for the Kiwis, that might come up later in the future but now I just want to play good for the club and rep footy is the furthest thing from my mind at the moment."
But he added he would aim for a New South Wales or Australian jersey before exploring his eligibility for New Zealand.
"Firstly I've got to get back in the top side and play regularly week-in, week-out and as I start to get match fit my form should speak for itself.
"You never know, things might happen at the end of the year if I have a good probably seven or eight weeks.
"You can't really look into the future but you can hope it turns out that way."
https://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/488120/715875
