Done well, say by puce-faced misery Man Utd boss Alex Ferguson, the art of psychological warfare can really be that – an art. Damaging the opposition before crunch games, getting into their heads, make them look in the mirror and wonder what’s really there.
Take it down a level or two and you’ve got the dull-arsed “we beat them last time” stuff, which makes your own players feel pretty good, while not being so rude about the their team that the manager pins the clipping up in the change room and fires his team up into a righteous fury.
At the very bottom you’ve got the poor Gold Coast Titans, who tell every microphone they see that they can beat the Parramatta Eels, that the Eels’ sensational form means nothing, that Jarryd Hayne is a myth, and that what happened last season or the season before is what really counts over 80 minutes of tough footy.
Most confused of all is Preston Campbell, who doesn’t seem to know what he thinks. “No one gives us a chance,” he said carefully. “I think it plays into our hands.” Before giving his team a boost with, “Whether we are underdogs or not, it doesn’t matter.” Then he turns the tables in a stunning move: “They may not have beaten us but I don’t think the Eels boys will be worrying about that too much.” Woah, boy! Stop there! Oh, too late… “They are a different team since the last time we played them. They will be a lot more confident than they were before.” Well, that’s told them, hasn’t it, Pres? Way to psych them out, pal.