Canberra Raiders winger Jordan Rapana considered quitting rugby league to join the police force seven months ago, but he's now confident his best football is ahead after signing a new two-year deal.
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Rapana has passed a medical check on a fractured cheekbone to take on the Gold Coast Titans at Canberra Stadium on Saturday, the club that launched his NRL career as an 18-year-old in 2008.
It is the Raiders, however, that have revived Rapana's career.
Having scored five tries in his first five matches with the Titans, Rapana quit the NRL for a two-year Mormon mission, then had a failed stint in Super Rugby.
The 25-year-old made a powerful comeback to the NRL with Canberra at the end of 2014, but only after he made inquiries about joining the police force.
"Everything happens for a reason, at that time I was coming off contract and got given a lifeline for a year," Rapana said on Friday. "I've taken that with both hands, or I'd like to think I have.
"It gives me confidence going into this game, I definitely feel wanted and playing against my old club I'd love to give it to them, I'm very excited."
Unable to crack a starting position with the ACT Brumbies, Rapana
Rapana has played only eight NRL matches with the Raiders and last year suffered a fractured skull, but his strength in attack and versatility has prompted Canberra to re-sign him.
"Without being cocky I felt very confident I could get back to this level, that's why I asked Dave Furner at the time to give me a lifeline," Rapana said. "I still feel I'm improving and my best footy years are ahead of me."
The Raiders initially feared Rapana would miss up to eight weeks when he fractured his cheek in their last match against the Rabbitohs, but scans have cleared him to return after just two weeks.
Despite a horror run with head knocks, Rapana said he would not curb his aggressive style.
"The cheekbone's fine, I saw the specialist and it's stable, in a position where I can't do it any more harm," he said.
The Raiders are close to boosting their backline stocks further by signing Newcastle Knights centre Joey Leilua, and hope to have a deal done as early as next week.
The club continues to monitor the situation of Australian prop James Tamou, although he may need to take a pay cut if he requests a release from North Queensland.
Canberra will play against one of their key signings for next season, Gold Coast half Aidan Sezer, at Canberra Stadium on Saturday. The Raiders have also signed England representative back rower Elliott Whitehead.
