After nearly 18 months away from competitive play, former rugby league talent Josh Schuster has finally returned to the field.
His initial comeback was scheduled for early August but was postponed due to a minor injury he sustained in training.
During a practice session, he took a hit to the throat from teammate Alex Twal but was cleared of any serious injury after a hospital visit.
Despite the setback, he managed to rejoin his team in time for the last game of the NSW Cup regular season.
Facing his old club, the South Sydney Rabbitohs, at Lidcombe Oval, Schuster achieved 29 running metres, made 12 tackles, contributed one line-break assist, and assisted a try for Starford To'a.
This performance follows a significant moment in June when Wests Tigers offered him a second chance with a contract in the NSWRL (NSW Cup).
"I wasn't mentally right and wasn't in a good place. If your life is not good outside of footy, then it doesn't work out on the field," Schuster shared with James Graham's The Bye Round in May.
"One of the factors [to return to the NRL] is to prove it to myself. The last couple of years, I was doing it for other people, trying to make other people happy, and putting other people before me.
"I can honestly say this is the happiest I've been in my own life, and just having a purpose in my life."