Tatafu Polota-Nau admits part of him now regrets playing through the immense pain of a broken forearm last year because it blocked Australia's up-and-coming hookers from developing.
The 31-year-old's mission to re-establish himself as a Test regular begins with Saturday night's Super Rugby clash at Allianz Stadium, where he'll likely make his debut for the Western Force against his old side, the NSW Waratahs, after several months on the sidelines.
Polota-Nau is returning from much-needed surgery to repair his arm, which did not heal properly after being initially operated on in March last year.
The 67-Test veteran chose to push on and played for months through incredible discomfort but eventually relented and went back under the knife, scuttling a mooted move to English club Bristol and putting the wheels in motion for his shift to the Force.
His absence also opened the door for James Hanson and Tolu Latu to act as Michael Cheika's bench hooking options through their European tour, while Queensland Reds dynamo Andrew Ready is hotly tipped to compete for a Wallabies spot this year.
Polota-Nau said in the back of his mind, he wonders if he did Australian rugby a "disservice" by not having surgery sooner.
"I believed it was for the right reasons, because the Wallabies is what we strive for," he told AAP.
"But in saying that I think it also did a disservice. Not being 100 per cent fit, that sort of blocked a few potential starting opportunities for the younger blokes who went on tour.
"It's great to see the likes of Tolu and Chibba Hanson getting some runs with the squad, because that's what we need to cover the depth of our position."
Polota-Nau said it was a relief to now be able to wake up with "no stress" over an injury that once made shaking hands a painful chore, and forced him to abandon his personal tradition of sending hand-written postcards to his family while on the road.
"It was just little simple things. There's more to life than rugby, so I just wanted to make sure that was the priority," he said.
Now fully fit and firing after getting through the pre-season unscathed, he admits the stiff competition he'll face in Latu, Hanson and Ready for a Wallabies berth is personally "not ideal" as he seeks to reassert himself in the pecking order, but great for the country.
"It's not just a good mix but the standard is becoming higher," he said.
"We can't rest on our haunches. They're just a step away from taking your spot."
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