Brayden Mitchell keen to make most of opportunity

Stags frontrower Brayden Mitchell has stared down the prospect of never playing rugby again and is relishing the chance to return to the footy field in 2019.

The 30-year-old missed the entire 2018 Mitre 10 Cup with Southland after having to undergo neck surgery, but is hopeful that his injury woes are behind him and that he will be able to add at least another couple of years onto his career.

Mitchell’s problems started in May last year during an early season club game with Star.

“I went in to make a tackle and I almost dislocated my shoulder, the whole left side of my body went numb. I didn’t know what to think for a start, but it was really sore. After a while the feeling started to come back and I tried to play two weeks later. I got through one game, but in the next one I got hit late, my neck snapped back and the whole side of my body went numb again, that’s when we realised it was more than my shoulder.”

Mitchell had been expected to lead the Stags for a third straight season. He returned south in 2015 after a brief stint with Waikato, producing some of his best rugby the following year when he was promoted to captain and was named the 2016 Southland player of the year.

But on the eve of last year’s difficult campaign the news came through that Mitchell needed significant work done to sort out nerve issues in his neck and he would spend the rest of the season doing only light training and watching from the sidelines.

“I hated going to the games and watching, because I wanted to be out there so bad myself. That was tough. It’s not easy seeing the boys with their heads down in the changing room afterwards.

“Obviously there’s all sorts of risks with operations, and there was risk with that sort of operation, but as the surgeon said, he’d done it a thousand times and never had anything go wrong. I was at peace, I thought to myself that I’d had not a bad rugby career. Now that I’ve had my surgery and haven’t played rugby in a while, it’s made me miss it - quite a lot actually.”

Mitchell’s professional career dates back to 2009, the year he scored a try in the final against England to help the New Zealand under 20 team to a world title.

A knee injury to David Hall saw him promoted to the Stags the same year.

Away from rugby, Mitchell started a plumbing apprenticeship working for team mate Jason Rutledge, but put that aside when Super Rugby came calling.

After stints with the Highlanders, Hurricanes and Chiefs, Mitchell was dismayed to find his plumbing qualifications were no longer valid and he would have to start again.

Instead, he’s spent time on Foveaux Strait dredging for oysters alongside former All Black Jimmy Cowan, and now has an advertising role with NZME.

“It was an interesting job,” Mitchell says of his five months as an oysterman.

“It was enjoyable some days, but bloody tough other days. Getting up at 3.30am, working all day and then having to go to (rugby) training, it was a bit tough after a while. They reckoned it was one of the worst years they’d ever had. You’d be seasick, spewing down your shirt and you’d just have to keep working. They wouldn’t stop for you. On a good day it was beautiful to be out there to see the sun set and the sun rise, it’s unreal some days.”

Mitchell rates Dave Rennie, his New Zealand under 20 and Chiefs coach, as the best coach he’s played under, and All Black rake Dane Coles as the best player he’s lined up beside.

And when he weighs up his career he has mixed emotions - pride in what he has achieved and an acknowledgement that he could have pushed harder.

“When I first made the Stags I had two stalwarts (Rutledge and Hall) ahead of me and as a young fella I was almost happy just to be there, because I knew I wasn’t going to play. I know that’s the wrong attitude to have, and I try to let the young guys now know that your job’s not done just by getting into the team. The easy bit is getting selected, the hard part is playing well every week.

“I’ve been lucky to get picked up by different franchises and it’s opened my eyes up to a lot of different experiences. Playing Super Rugby was a dream come true, I loved my time at all the teams I played for. If I had my time again I’d probably do things a bit differently, train a bit harder and not just be happy to be there. Hindsight is a wonderful thing - better late than never.”