Timana Tahu is devastated his Test career has hit another roadblock with a torn hamstring forcing him home, but at least it will give him time to work on an interesting diversion in his life.
The Wallabies utility will return to Sydney this week after damaging his left hamstring in a second-half tackle during the Wallabies' shaky 30-20 win over Italy in Padova on Saturday.
It was depressing for a man who has suffered many setbacks in his first rugby season and he told the Herald he wanted to "scream and kick doors down" when he learned he was out of the tour. Then Wallabies coach Robbie Deans took him aside.
"Robbie came up to me after the game, saw I was upset, and said, 'Give me five things in your life that could be worse than this', and that really brought it back into perspective. It made me realise that even when things are bad, there are so many good things in your life, such as the health of your children, that I've been playing all over the world, and am enjoying being involved in the rugby experience."
And while the Wallabies freeze for the next month, Tahu will be recuperating in the Sydney sunshine and, with his wife, Kasey, focusing on their new venture - a sports management company. The Tahus, along with close friends Warwick Wright and Matt Rose, recently formed a company called Tristar. Their intention is to help young rugby league and union players, ensuring they are not burnt by the tribe of player managers.
Tahu is distinctly different to most players in having taken it upon himself to negotiate his own deal when he decided to move from the NRL to the Waratahs this year. He did so because he has learned the hard way with player managers and thought it was the perfect time "to do a bit of growing up", having "discovered along the way you really can't rely on some people".
"I am really sick of the way some managers treat their players," Tahu said on Monday. "A lot of kids who get involved in league come from broken families, are not well educated, and they really need good assistance. You don't want them caught up with sharks.
"And, yes, I'm one who learned the difficult way. I was one who grew up in hostels, and know about tough times."
Tahu, who is half Aboriginal and half Maori, had an unsettled childhood. He lived in a number of towns during one three-year stretch before he moved, at his request, to an Aboriginal boys' hostel in Dubbo, then Newcastle.
"Now I've got a chance to show some of these young guys coming into the game the pitfalls and hopefully provide them with the right guidance," he said. "I want to help them with life after football. A lot of professional athletes are not educated about contracts, usually need some help with financial planning, and can often be at the mercy of managers."
Tahu said he did not want to "grab hundreds and hundreds of players, like most managers are trying to do".
"Instead, I want to work with a small number, and look after them really well," he said. "It's not just about negotiating contracts, but providing them with career paths, and be realistic with them."
Already ,several NRL players have linked with Tahu, and more are expected to soon follow.
"In the NRL, so many players whinge about their managers, but they don't do anything about it," he said. "I know as a player what it is like to be treated like that by managers, and there is a more positive way. There's a lot of kids out there who get dudded by their managers, and they should be looked after far better. I want to do something about it."