As Dylan Pietsch left the field on Saturday, the entire Latchem Robinson stand at Leichhardt stood at once to applaud the barnstorming winger after his incredible performance against the Crusaders.
Even if the 24-year-old didn't know they were applauding him, it signified his arrival on the Super Rugby field, having gone through so much off it.
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Pietsch made his name on the Sevens circuit, making his debut as a 19-year-old in Wellington as he established himself as a key figure in the side for the Olympics.
Whilst the life is glamorous on the surface, Pietsch has revealed his internal struggles in a video promoting the Waratahs Mental Health Round, leading to him looking to end his life.
“My experience started with going to a school that didn’t celebrate Aboriginal culture and disconnected that from me at the time so I used sport as an avenue to feel that hole,” Pietsch revealed “I then went to the Sevens and started travelling around the world which I’d never done before…towards that second year, I really didn’t perform and was in an environment that didn’t suit me.
“I would go to bed around 10pm, I would stand in the mirror crying for a couple of hours laying in my bed and then I would walk from Eastlakes to Eastgardens at like 2-4 in the morning and then get back home and go to training at 6 at Narrabeen.
“It boiled up to a point where I broke up with my ex at the time and it made every emotion come into one…I really didn’t see a point living in this world so I tried to take my life."
The experience provided some much-needed clarity for the Wiradjuri man, taking the chance to re-connect with culture and his family, especially his father.
“I genuinely thought I could be the only person going through this," he stated. "There was no one in the world going through the problems I had. You look at it from the outside, I’m travelling the world playing Rugby, having good fun but I genuinely thought I was the only person in the world going through this trauma in my life which is obviously not the case.
“The thing that got me through was when I tried to take my life, I called my dad in tears but the thing was dad not even that long before the call had been going through word-for-word the exact same routine I’d been going through.
“It made me realise it wasn’t just me but you need people around you to talk so having him to talk to, having that person to talk about my feelings and not have any judgement or making them feel like you just feeling sorry for yourself.
“Growing up, I always knew I was Aboriginal and was very proud of it but I didn’t know the law, how to connect…it’s only in the past four years where I’ve dived in and really wanted to know and connect with that area.
“It is a really good thing to go our bush and feel genuinely connected to nature, people and everyone around us and I really think it’ll be good if Rugby can take a really good stance and make some really good things.”
Since joining the Waratahs in 2022, Pietsch has continued to embrace his culture, with the club starting their season with a smoking ceremony led by the winger and teammate Triston Reilly, who is a proud Dunghutti man.
The pair often head out in-between training sessions whilst Pietsch continues to spread the word about his own mental health problems for several initiatives.
“It really drives me, as well as Triston Reilly, we go out and do men’s business every week when training isn’t too hectic and learning about Aboriginal law which humbles you," he believes.
"It’s a beautiful thing to come back to because you know who you are, you know your people have been here for 60,000 years and they have lived this way for a good reason."
This greater sense of belonging and connection seems evident on the field as the winger has established himself as a crucial member of the Waratahs' revival in 2022, producing a man-of-the-match performance against the Crusaders.
Pietsch instantly took the game on, scoring inside three minutes to help the side to a commanding first-half lead
“That was a set play, I wish I was that good (to improvise that try),” he said with a smile on the try to reporters.
“It was a good play from Whits (assistant coach Chris Whittaker) and the team to catch them napping down the short side and I was just lucky to be there.”
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Whilst he remains humble about his opening try, there's no denying his class later in the game to change the momentum with 15 to go, putting on a big hit to dislodge the ball before beating three defenders to race clear and put the Waratahs on the attack, eventually ending with a penalty try.
Pietsch's influence will be major for the club in their finals push, looking to use the win over the Crusaders as a launching pad for the rest of the season.
"I think it just reassures everyone. We've always had that belief we can beat those people, it was just a bit of reassurance," he believes.
"It wasn't everything we were lacking beforehand or anything we were lacking. We know we can do it."
As for the standing applause at the end?
“I didn’t know they were applauding (me), I just put a little thumbs up. I didn’t really know what was happening. I’m pretty awkward when it comes to that sort of stuff and try celebrations, I need to work on that," Pietsch laughed.
NOTE: An earlier copy of this story referenced Dylan Pietsch as attending Scots rather than Kings. We will like to acknowledge and apologise for this mistake.
