According to Wayne Bennett, Brisbane forward Joe Ofahengaue lost his way in the NRL after he "got ahead of himself".
But Ofahengaue has revealed he had to exorcise much darker demons than complacency to fight his way back from the rugby league wilderness.
The nephew of former Wallabies forward Willie Ofahengaue is back in favour with Bennett, filling the impact bench forward vacancy created by the injured Tevita Pangai Jnr for the second straight week.
The pressure will be on Ofahengaue to impress against Penrith at Suncorp Stadium on Thursday night with forward Jai Arrow expected back from a thumb injury in two weeks and Pangai Jnr (finger) also on the recovery trail.
The Ofahengaue of old would probably buckle under the expectation.
But the rejuvenated 21-year-old was confident he had left those dark days behind.
Ofahengaue revealed he worried too much about making the Broncos 17 than having fun last year, creating overwhelming pressure on himself.
"I had some off-field stuff I was battling and it was affecting my footy but no excuses now - I just lost my spot," he said.
"I'm in a happy place now. Just me, two dogs and the missus. It's all good."
After a dream 2015 debut season, Ofahengaue played in the NRL grand final before his form dropped off last year.
Suddenly the 19-year-old who had the world at his feet in 2015 had been leapfrogged on the Brisbane bench forward pecking order by Pangai Jnr, Herman Ese'ese and Arrow.
Relegated to Queensland Cup duty, Ofahengaue was finally selected for his first NRL game since Round 21 last year when he replaced the injured Pangai Jnr in last week's win over South Sydney.
"It was like playing my debut again. I got text messages from everyone. It was cool," Ofahengaue said.
As tough as it was, the Tongan international was now thankful for the lessons learned while on the outer with Bennett.
He is now unfazed by the prospect of being relegated to Queensland Cup again despite Arrow's imminent return.
"Getting sent back to the Queensland Cup was a big thing for me," Ofahengaue said.
"If you play in the NRL and come back down to Queensland Cup everyone just guns for you.
"Every game is a tough game.
"But it is what it is. If I play the best I can it will lead to a spot. If it doesn't I will just work harder (in Queensland Cup)."
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