Relishing time away from Sydney, a refreshed Kieran Foran is confident he can recapture career-best form with the Warriors.
But he has asked long-suffering Warriors fans for patience ahead of his expected NRL return against Gold Coast in Auckland on Sunday.
Foran, 26, must pass a fitness test on Saturday after his last round comeback was sabotaged by a hamstring twinge suffered in the warm-up.
The star five-eighth played his last NRL game back in May when his ill-fated Parramatta stint was cut short by a shoulder injury and a battle with personal issues.
Foran has not ruled out leaving the Warriors at season's end and returning to Australia to be closer to his two children who live with their mum in Sydney.
However, the Kiwi international believes he can bounce back to his best while at his hometown Auckland after revelling in life outside the Sydney league fish bowl.
"It has been refreshing," said Foran who left Auckland as a schoolboy.
"I didn't think it would happen. I'd been in Sydney for so long I never envisaged myself coming back to live in Auckland.
"Although it's been difficult being away from my two young kids back in Sydney, it's what I needed.
"I've really enjoyed the pace of Auckland again, it's not as big as Sydney.
"I've got a lot of extended family and it's been nice to get back to my roots and what made me happy as a kid, just finding myself again."
Warriors fans are sweating on Foran's return after a three-game losing streak.
But Foran warned he would not provide a quick fix.
"I just want to find my feet again," he said.
"I'm not coming out to try and set the world on fire.
"I want to get back to where I was but it will take time."
Foran has overcome many obstacles in his recovery to launch a comeback but admitted last week's setback floored him.
He suffered a hamstring twinge doing warm-up drills barely five minutes before last round's away loss to St George Illawarra.
The New Zealand international was too upset to talk to media after the game.
"Just disbelief," Foran said of the last-minute injury.
"I'd had no problem with my hamstring all season and I'd done a ton of running and to get it in a warm up, where I wasn't doing any exploding or anything too fast, I just couldn't believe it.
"But I felt like I would have done more damage to it and be out for several weeks so I made the call with the coaches not to play and to try to get myself right for this game."
