In 2018, Michael Wells walked onto the stage to accept his award as the Waratahs' best forward for the season.
12 months later, he was out the door after receiving an under-value offer, heading south to the Melbourne Rebels.
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The Norths product has been a revelation for the Melbourne-based club in 2021, with his influence over the squad recognised with the Weary Dunlop Award.
With that award came another honour: a maiden Wallabies call-up as 24 hours earlier, he was selected in Dave Rennie's squad for France.
It capped a remarkable comeback for Wells after his departure, following the footsteps of club teammate Will Miller in experiencing greener pastures away from NSW.
“Potentially, I thought it might not happen but it was about just worrying about my own job at the Rebels and wanting to play the best footy I could and hoping if I could string games together, it’d get rewarded with higher honours,” Wells said on Tuesday.
“For me, this is the pinnacle of rugby in Australia and where I always wanted to be so it was always that ultimate goal. However, I also had to be self-aware and realistic, if there’s a lot of depth at my position and guys are performing really well.
“For my part, other years I wasn’t performing up to scratch so I couldn’t expect to be selected. It was just about doing my job for the team but I think this year I’ve expanded and opened my eyes to national selection and you start worrying again and it becomes more realistic.”
The pain of his dismissal still rings strong for the back-rower, however, he believes it made him re-evaluate himself and spark his eventual transformation.
"Yeah, I’d be lying to say it wasn’t a bit of a sting. It dents your pride and takes a bit to come back from,” he said.
“It’s easy to blame people but it’s harder to reflect and say could you be better yourself and that was the reflection I made. Seeing where I could be better, what guys who were selected they were doing and their points of difference and what I can be better at.
“You can complain about it or move on and I was probably too slow to move on, particularly my first year at the Rebels. I probably didn’t hit the ground running as much so it was in and out from starting and the bench so that’s my own fault, no one else’s.”
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Given his exit, you would understand if a part of Wells was pleased with where the club found itself in 2021.
However, Wells was focused on lifting the standard of competition across the board, optimistic they would bounce back in 2022 and beyond.
“Being a part of Australian Rugby, you want all the collective to do well so it’s disappointing they had the season they did,” he admits.
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want them to do well. I want every time to do well because the current climate, it’s always easy to talk negative but it’s harder to buy in as a collective and improve everything.
“I think they have the right pieces in place with a strong roster coming through and this will be a great experience for them this year. Unfortunately, results didn’t go their way but I think there were moments in the Trans-Tasman that showed they have the right guys that can play footy.”
