MITCHELL JOHNSON: AFL and NRL stars Nathan Cleary, Lachie Neale should not change their game for finals

The intensity of the finals in the AFL and NRL is what it’s all about.

September certainly brings a new energy. It’s do or die and as a player, these sort of moments bring different emotions and pressures.

So much good work, dating back to the beginning of the last pre-season, can be undone and the players would have that at the front of their mind. If you lose – goodbye, season wasted.

Every single player must be on the same page in finals. The best teams are the ones who will go out there and continue to play the footy they have been playing that got them there.

And that’s the key point – while the stakes change, the game doesn’t.

As a young fast bowler, I played in a one-day match at the Gabba for Queensland against Tasmania.

I was bowling well, swinging the ball and bowling with confidence. We had a great team in the early 2000s and I always had an experienced bowler at mid-on or mid-off talking to me through my bowling spells.

I had taken a few wickets early and next thing you know, Australian Test captain and one of our greatest ever batsmen Ricky Ponting was facing up to me.

This is where I learnt a valuable lesson and it stuck with me to this day. I thought to myself, I have to change the way I’m bowling because it’s Ricky Ponting. But my mindset was all wrong and I got absolutely pumped over by him.

I think it was Andy Bichel or Michael Kasprowicz who said to me ‘why did you change the way you were bowling?’ I was bowling great to get other great players out, so when I was asked that it made so much sense.

I needed to back what was working at the time and stick to it no matter who it was at the other end.

When I received my baggy green from legend Glenn McGrath, what I remember from his speech to me was to go out there and keep doing the things that got me here.

Those words definitely stuck with me and it was something I often reminded myself of even though at times things didn’t go to plan.

It’s the same with the footy finals. These players are already under pressure. Why put yourself under more pressure? Port Adelaide might have succumbed to this in their qualifying final.

Finals are different for many reasons and especially a grand final, which is a whole event in itself with the parade and entertainment and Katy Perry or The Kid LAROI.

If you haven’t experienced that as a player before, it can be overwhelming. You can waste energy in the lead-up to the part of the day which actually matters.

The adrenaline and excitement of it all is normal but players who will cope and even thrive under that sort of pressure are the ones who know how to control those sorts of emotions. You’re going into the unknown under the public eye just to add even more pressure.

Sometimes you will see a newbie to the finals furnace, they may come out all guns blazing and cook themselves early or cramp up because of that nervous energy. These are all normal things and things that players can learn from.

I used to love the biggest events when they came around. Leading into the 2013-14 Ashes, I was bloody nervous. It meant something special to me and I wanted to do well, not just for myself but for my teammates, support staff, family, friends and for the Aussie fans.

To be honest, before most series I played for Australia I would feel the excitement and nerves build. That’s completely natural but I was aware of what that all meant to me and I was able to channel that energy and nerves to go out and do what I was there to do, compete at my best.

That doesn’t just happen overnight but comes with experience, failures and learning from the past.

Finals footy is an amazing time, whether you’re a player, parent or fan. It’s all amplified. The heartache, the joy, players being pushed to their absolute limits.

The stakes are at their highest and this is why you play. To be able to hold that trophy with your mates after a hard-fought season and know you are the best team in the competition.

That result can never be taken away from you. It’s a feeling that never goes away and the flashbacks of that special time will always bring joy when you remember it over your lifetime.