Richie Barnett: Wearing the Kiwis jersey should be enough to burn off 'burnout'

Kiwi coach Steve Kearney. Photo / NZPA

We named a strong and exciting Kiwis squad this week for the upcoming Four Nations but, naturally, the big talking point was the withdrawal of some big names through "burnout".

It was disappointing to lose players of the quality of Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, who was slated to play fullback, and Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, but it presents an opportunity to others.

The reasons given to us about Roger and Jared sound genuine and we can only hope they are.

Coach Steve Kearney contacted the Roosters to check things out and the pair sound busted and in need of a rest. They have both played a lot of football over the last couple of years.

But I always relate a situation like this back to the past. In the old days, players would have given their right arm to play test football - or at least play with a broken arm. Players like Mark Graham and Kevin Tamati were always busted but did everything they could to ensure they were on the field because it meant that much to them. They just loved playing for the jersey.

I realise the game has changed since the 1980s and '90s, when I was playing, and the game is faster and more physically demanding. But, equally, sports science has improved, meaning players recover better.

When you're young, you should be able to play year on year. Your body can go through a lot and you can push through it when you're young. Sometimes it's best to play on and I always felt it was the best way to keep fit ahead of a new season.

It's difficult for players. Pressure is often placed on players by their clubs to opt out of international football.

I think honesty is the best policy. I was desperate to play for New Zealand and, if I came under pressure to skip internationals, I would go and see the coach straight away to say, 'I'm playing for my country, you can't hold me back'. But I would also make sure I did everything possible to be in the best shape possible for the next club season.

What we want in the Kiwis are players who are desperate to wear the jersey. It's what exists in the All Blacks. They often say they're fatigued and play too much rugby but they never opt out because of the honour of wearing the black jersey and the winning culture within the team but also because they don't want to give anyone else a chance to take their spot. The only way we can do that with the Kiwis is to build a winning culture and the most important aspect of that is winning. We haven't won anything for a while but, if we can, the hope is players will be desperate to be involved for fear of missing out.

You don't see players like Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk opting out, even though they play a lot of football and coach Tim Sheens made a telling comment when he said he had never had a case of a player making himself unavailable through burnout.

I believe we still have a side capable of winning the Four Nations. We have a strong forward pack, some good halves and skilful outside backs. And, crucially, they want to play for New Zealand.

• Richie Barnett is a Kiwis selector.