Mitchell Pearce opens up on the Australian media after leaving the NRL behind

Mitchell Pearce is set to play an integral role for his new club Catalans Dragons – and he is hoping to do it without the negative press.

Whilst in the UK, the media is more relaxed, Down Under in the NRL, they often follow players and clubs’ every move.

That includes insight into players’ private lives and, for Pearce, the pressure that came with that was huge.

“The media in Australia and the NRL is huge – you get a lot of attention in and around games,” Pearce said.

“At the end of the day, we are playing to win and there’s a lot of pressure on people to perform.

“I did the NRL thing for 15 years and loved my time there but it’s a different environment and it’s stimulating and I’m here to win a trophy for Catalans.

“It does become draining and there was a fair bit of that back home.

“The media is all part of it, there are benefits and there are great things that come with the NRL and a lot of people get behind it.

“You get attention – both positive and negative – but I’ve come here where the media is a big part of it and where the attention off the field isn’t as big.

It’s also fair to say that the veteran halfback has fitted in superbly will in the south of France – though some aspects of the French culture have taken a while to get used to.

“The language is difficult and the siesta when everything shuts up in the afternoon was difficult to get used to.

“Trying to get a quick feed and then everything is shut and things like going to the bank or buying stuff it is tough with the language barrier.

“But, we will start language classes in the next few weeks and I really like the lifestyle here, it’s a relaxed place with beautiful beaches and mountains.

“You can see how proud the place is about rugby league.”