For a brief moment, Blayke Brailey had finally reached rugby league's biggest stage.
Two days later, he feared it had all been ripped away.
The Sharks hooker had barely begun to soak in the emotion of his State of Origin debut before a devastating broken forearm against Manly threatened to end his series.
Instead, Brailey produced one of the fastest recoveries of the year, returning in just three weeks to keep his Origin dream alive before earning another phone call from Blues coach Laurie Daley.
Speaking to Zero Tackle, Brailey admitted that being forced to watch from the sidelines after his dream debut was gruelling.
"It was very hard," Brailey acknowledged.
"I don't miss out on many games. So, to play Game 1 and not be able to play Game 2 was hard. I felt a bit helpless at times, sitting on the couch, wanting to be out there and going through the pain and all the tough parts of the game. I have a lot to give back to the side and make up for, and I hopefully make New South Wales and Laurie proud."
When Brailey fractured his right arm just days after Game One, his Origin campaign looked all but over.
Although a three-to four-week return was possible for a lesser fracture, the more realistic expectation was a return somewhere between one and two months after his surgery.
Instead, the 26-year-old attacked his rehabilitation with one goal in mind.
"Origin was definitely a part of the motivation. Obviously, getting back to the Sharks and playing that Roosters game, with a three-week return, was definitely a part of the goal.
"I didn't know what was going on with the team. I wanted to be back here and serve the Blues, so I am just thankful that Laurie put his trust in me."
Brailey underwent surgery to repair the clean break, with surgeons inserting a plate and eight screws into his forearm before beginning an aggressive rehabilitation program.
"It was hard to miss out on Game 2 with my arm. Obviously, there was a big goal to be back here and get that phone call from Laurie and just be really proud to be back here and put the jersey back on.
"I got surgery, a plate, eight screws. It was a clean snap on my radius, so the X-Ray showed it was going to be a couple of weeks.
"The physios and Sharks medical staff certainly did a great job to get me back at a record-breaking pace.
"It's feeling pretty good. I had that full 80-minute performance the other week, then had the week off to heal and recover even more. So yeah, it's getting better every day."
Brailey's comeback game couldn't have come under greater scrutiny.
Lining up opposite fellow Blues hooker Reece Robson against the Roosters, the Cronulla number eight played the full 80 minutes, finished with 48 tackles and 118 receptions of the football, proving to Daley that his arm was ready for the intensity of representative football despite the Shire's 27-8 defeat.
Not long after came the call he had spent weeks chasing.
"He just said, 'Are you ready to go, and how's the arm?' I just said, " Yep, I'm all in. It was an exciting phone call and a nervous wait but really rewarding,” he said.
"Obviously, I came on with 30 to go, and we weren't looking too great at the time. I think just having that confidence in myself that I've done the preparation to go out there and perform."
Now back in the Blues camp, Brailey is determined to reward the faith shown in him after his debut series was cruelly interrupted almost as soon as it began.
Many pundits are now hoping Daley will opt for the two-prong hooker approach for the decider after Brailey's replacement, Api Korosaiu, failed to take the field.
