It’s been four months since Warriors skipper Roger Tuivasa-Sheck last saw his family, so winning NRL games and studying has been his coping mechanism.
Aside from baking sour dough, learning a new language or short course is a worldwide trend for people in COVID-19 lockdown and the Kiwi star is no exception.
Without his two young children and partner in Terrigal, the 27-year-old fullback has dived into the books, aiming to become fluent in Samoan and finish a business course.
It’s how he’s holding onto sanity in an impossible situation.
“I’m doing courses on the side, trying to do my daily stuff with the team and I’m on Facetime constantly,” he told AAP.
“I’m just trying to stay busy because if I sit around at home in my apartment and think about the kids, it would be tough.”
The sacrifice is tremendous, but the drive to be better is what makes Tuivasa-Sheck such a courageous captain for the club.
When Stephen Kearney was suddenly and sensationally axed in June, interim coach Todd Payten gave all of the players an out.
They could go home, no questions asked, or they could stay and play their hearts out for the rest of the NRL season.
Five players took him up on it for varying personal reasons; mostly family.
But as captain of the club Tuivasa-Sheck chose to stay because it’s what his family would want from him.
It’s what he expects of himself.
Even if it means he is now the only Warriors player not to be with his family inside the club’s Central Coast base.
Even if it means watching his son crawl for the first time over Facetime.
Even if it’s been four months since he hugged them.
“I felt like, this is the role I play as a man, as a father,” he said.
“This is where I chose to be because I’m the provider for my family.
“I’m here to work and this is the role that I play for my family.
“It’s a blessing to be doing the job that I’m doing.
“I know so many good people that aren’t working back home or who have been laid off, so I’m just lucky for the opportunity.
“If you’ve got a group like this who are just positive … they keep me going.”
The Warriors still have a glimmer of hope they can make a run to the finals over the next three weeks, starting with Cronulla on Sunday.
But whatever happens, Tuivasa-Sheck is a proud leader given the extraordinary circumstances they have faced in 2020.
“I’ve been really proud of the way everyone has turned up to training and turned up to our day-to-day stuff and really just being positive and enjoying our time here,” he said.
“We’ve accepted that we’re here now and everyone is buying in, enjoying their time and ripping in and that’s what I like to see.”