I woke up this morning feeling like it was Christmas Day. This is my third grand final, so I feel blessed. Some blokes never play in one. So to go out like that in my last season, after announcing my retirement a few weeks ago, is a dream finish. Doing it with this team is the special part. French rugby league\u2019s never won a competition and that was the goal when I came over here: to create history for French rugby league.<\/p>\n
From what I could gather, Catalans fans were going off after the semi-final win against St Helens in Perpignan.<\/strong><\/p>\n They\u2019re special fans. The south of France is mostly about rugby union. They have some big clubs here. Many Australians and Kiwis come here to play rugby, but Perpignan is all rugby league. They are very proud people who love the game.<\/p>\n Mitchell Pearce is preparing for the final match of his career.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n Has finishing your career in Europe changed you?<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s been great for me. It was a good age to come over \u2014 both on and off the field. You grow up and it changes your perspective on life. I\u2019ve got so much out of the experience and that\u2019s the biggest motivation for me in the grand final: I want to repay the players who have helped make that happen.<\/p>\n You\u2019re playing in a gun team. Tyrone May, in particular, is flying.<\/strong><\/p>\n He\u2019s had a super year. He\u2019s the form five-eighth of the competition. Obviously, he had his dramas that meant he had to leave Penrith and I reckon it\u2019s been tough for him, seeing Penrith\u2019s success the last two years. He\u2019s a proud Mount Druitt boy. He\u2019s signed with Hull next year, but it won\u2019t surprise me if he finds himself back in the NRL in the next couple of years.<\/p>\n Now we\u2019re down to the last match, how do you reflect on your career?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m proud. I\u2019m really proud. I feel proud that I\u2019ve been able to play for so long and proud of what I\u2019ve achieved. When you\u2019re playing week to week, you don\u2019t appreciate everything. I\u2019ve given it everything: my energy, my obsession to rugby league for a long time. I\u2019m looking forward to opening my mind to new things.<\/p>\n Career highlights?<\/strong><\/p>\n The grand final win [with the Roosters in 2013] for sure. When you think back on your career, you think of all the great Roosters teams I\u2019ve played in; the culture and feeling around that group, they\u2019re the things I remember. We were so connected. Every time I ran out for NSW was a privilege. [Laughs] There was some criticism around those times, but I\u2019ll be telling my kids how good those times were.<\/p>\n Did you feel a sense of closure winning that last game for the Blues in the 2019 series decider?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah, I did. That was a highlight I\u2019ll never forget because of the pressure on that team. The way the game finished \u2026 you can\u2019t replicate that sort of feeling.<\/p>\n Hugging NSW coach Brad Fittler after winning the 2019 State of Origin decider.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty<\/cite><\/p>\n You had a few off-field incidents during your NRL career. What did they teach you?<\/strong><\/p>\n Going to rehab was a big turning point in my life. In those moments, there\u2019s a lot of shame. You feel like you\u2019ve let the club down. The person I was then, drinking heavy and bingeing \u2026 it was poor leadership. The experience I got out of rehab and meeting all these people from all around the world, it was an actual blessing. Looking back with an older head, that was a time that was a lot of growth for me.<\/p>\n There was plenty of speculation earlier this year about you coming back to the NRL for either the Tigers or Roosters. Did either of them approach you?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yeah, they did. I was open to playing another season. There were a couple of opportunities floating around in the NRL. Catalans also wanted me to play another year. But there was a lightbulb moment when, for the first time in my career, I was looking forward to something different. I still love playing footy \u2014 I love running out there and competing \u2014 but if I went again, would I have the motivation I\u2019ve had in the past? That\u2019s how I arrived at my answer to retire.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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