Canberra Raiders prop Charlie Gubb feared his season was over when medical staff told him he had torn the tendon off the bone in his groin in his Green Machine debut.
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But the 107 kilogram New Zealander has emerged as a key Raiders weapon in the fight to force their way into the NRL's top eight.
Gubb will play his third game for Canberra when the Raiders clash against the top of the table St George Illawarra Dragons in Mudgee on Sunday.
The Dragons have been the benchmark of the competition so far this season and boast a powerful forward pack, including NSW State of Origin contender Paul Vaughan, Tariq Sims, Jack De Belin, Tyson Frizell and England international James Graham.
The Raiders prop stocks copped a major hit when Junior Paulo was ruled out for up to 10 weeks, but Gubb's return will help ease the pain for Canberra.
He came off the bench in his comeback game against the Cronulla Sharks last week, playing 24 minutes and making 104 metres in a short stint. But just playing at all this year was a bonus after Gubb revealed the extent of his injury.
"It had to scar up and re-attach. When they first said it, I was thinking that was my year [done]," Gubb said.
"But when we got the scan, they said it was a good thing that it tore right off because that's what they do in surgery.
"It made the comeback a bit easier than if I'd half torn it ... there are worse people off than you if you're complaining about injury.
"It was a bit frustrating because I thought [the injury] wasn't getting better, but we've got such a great medical staff here who keep you motivated and they're on you every day. That made it a lot faster, I think I was supposed to be out for eight weeks but [returned to] play in five."
Gubb has emerged as a key man in the Raiders' forward pack after a Junior Paulo foot injury ruled out the powerful front-rower for at least 10 weeks.
The 27-year-old could become even more important for the Raiders' long-term future with Paulo set to join the Parramatta Eels and Shannon Boyd understood to have rejected an offer from Canberra.
The Raiders are refusing to be lured into an "astronomical" bidding war for their front-rowers as the Gold Coast Titans attempt to lure Boyd to Queensland.
"I'm just worried about playing well for the team and keeping my spot. Whatever comes [after that], comes," Gubb said.
NRL ROUND 11
Sunday: St George Illawarra Dragons v Canberra Raiders at Glen Willow Oval, Mudgee, 2pm. TV time: Live on Fox Sports 2.
Raiders: 1. Jack Wighton, 2. Nick Cotric, 3. Jarrod Croker (c), 4. Joseph Leilua, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Blake Austin, 7. Aidan Sezer, 8. Iosia Soliola, 9. Siliva Havili, 10. Shannon Boyd, 11. Joseph Tapine, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Josh Papalii. Interchange from: 14. Ata Hingano, 15. Luke Bateman, 16. Charlie Gubb, 17. Dunamis Lui, 18. Liam Knight, 19. Michael Oldfield, 20. Sam Williams, 21. Craig Garvey.
Dragons: 1. Matthew Dufty, 2. Nene Macdonald, 3. Euan Aitken, 4. Tim Lafai, 5. Jason Nightingale, 6. Gareth Widdop (c), 7. Ben Hunt, 8. James Graham, 9. Cameron McInnes, 10. Paul Vaughan, 11. Tyson Frizell, 12. Tariq Sims, 13. Jack De Belin. Interchange from: 14. Jeremy Latimore, 15. Kurt Mann, 16. Leeson Ah Mau, 17. Blake Lawrie, 18. Reece Robson, 19. Zachary Lomax, 20. Mitchell Allgood, 21. Hame Sele.
