But the groundsman, better known by his colleagues as Ox, admits to partaking in a few rituals aimed at bringing good luck to those who play on the hallowed ground.
The Dunedin-born 23-year-old said one of his "lucky charms" was to always paint the tryline at the ODT Stand end of the ground first.
"It's the end the Highlanders like to warm up on, and they prefer to play towards it in the first half."
It may seem a little kooky, but there are few places where superstition is more prevalent than in the world of professional sports - especially when success equals money.
Eathorne likes to think it helps the Highlanders get over the line.
He is one of only a few people who are allowed on the turf, apart from the players.
"We try to make it sacred ground - something special for the players.
"You've almost got to earn the right to walk on it."
It is fair to say that when games at the stadium finish, Eathorne's work begins.
A typical day starts at 7am.
"Every morning we walk across the ground, to see if there's anything out of the ordinary, like signs of disease or dryness in the grass.
"Then we cut the grass 'by hand' using reel mowers. It takes about 2 for two people, depending on how well the grass is growing."
Eathorne, who is the younger brother of former New Zealand age-group and Otago cricketer Sean Eathorne, said mowing 130m x 80m of grass equated to about 8km worth of walking, and it was a job he did every second day, and on game days.
"It helps burn the stripe pattern into the grass."
After morning smoko, divots where the ground has been ripped up by scrummaging rugby players are repaired by filling them with a mixture of sand and seed.
"During winter, we put lights and covers over spots that ake a general beating - the heavy-wear spots."
Then after lunch, he spreads granulated fertiliser and water on the ground in very precise quantities, and once a week he also sprays it with liquid fertiliser.
"It never really stops. We've always got stuff on the go."
Keeping the pitch - the first in the world to be grown under a fixed roof - in good condition is a big job.
Eathorne said the turf consists of three different types of seed, 3200 cu m of sand, soil and compost in three different layers, 2.5km of drainage, more than 15km of irrigation, 40 automated sprinkler heads and a complex environmental monitoring system.
With the addition of synthetic grass fibres injected deep into the soil, the stadium is capable of holding more events than a natural grass field.
He has been let loose on the complex turf only after serving a three-year on-the-job apprenticeship with the Open Polytechnic and the New Zealand Sports Turf Industry and gaining a qualification in turf management.
"Because we worked at Carisbrook, where stuff was falling down, it's great to come here and admire the structure. It makes the day go quickly.
"And there's no excuses for hiding in the groundskeeper's shed when it's raining," he said.
