It has been two years since Will Genia has been able to do any weights, and three since he has put any extra stress on his neck and shoulders.
Pretty much from the time he pulled on a gold jersey in 2009, the Queensland halfback's body was creaking under the weight of continuous rugby by this time last year.
There was season after season for the Reds and tour after tour for the Wallabies, where he has been the linchpin of the back line in recent years. By the time he was sent home from the June series against France this year, with directions to get his ankle fixed, the wear-and-tear list was long and frightening.
"It was disappointing to need surgery and be ruled out but it was a blessing in disguise, in that I rejigged my weights program and conditioning program, and I was able to fix up issues with my knee and shoulders and neck, through physio and just some time off and some rest," Genia said.
"I feel really refreshed and I'm back doing weights again because I got little niggling issues fixed up.
"We geared everything towards wanting to be as fit as I possibly could if I ever got the opportunity again to be a part of the squad. There's no guarantees and I have no expectations of being picked in the team, I'm just going over there to work hard."
Genia was one of the bright spots in the 28-man Wallabies squad named this week to tour South Africa and Argentina. For once, his name was on the able-bodied list, not among the growing number of players ruled out through injury.
His return – should it go to plan and not follow the path of hooker Tatafu Polota-Nau, who played 40 minutes before succumbing to another serious ailment last week – brings with it a promise of brighter days ahead.
Genia is one of a few Wallabies players considered world-class at his best – his name alone on a team sheet is enough to give an opposing Test coach a migraine.
Unfortunately, for both Australia and Genia himself, it has been a while since he has been at top flight, a fact he readily admits on the eve of his Wallabies return.
He said he learnt the meaning of resilience during the past 18 months and would never take another Test match for granted.
"It was the first time I'd been dropped and the first time I'd experienced those sorts of lows, so it really tested my belief," Genia said.
"I was always taught to be humble and grounded but it's one thing to say and it's another to actually experience it, go through the lows themselves.
"It puts your character and belief to the test, so I was kind of happy I responded. It taught me a valuable lesson about being humble and appreciating the things you have."
A "bad year" for Genia is still 14 Test appearances and 13 run-on starts. But for a player considered untouchable in the form and selection stakes for much of his career, his demotion to the bench against Argentina last year was a big deal. He didn't play a minute of that 14-13 victory in Perth, and wore the No.21 jersey again in Cape Town a fortnight later.
By the end of the Rugby Championship, he was back in the starting side, but none of it was easy, and Genia said that made him a better player mentally and emotionally.
"It was a year of ups and downs," he said, "but what I realised was you have to be positive through it all, you can't be too down when negative things come your way and you can't get too high when the positive things come. You just have to keep level headed.
"The thing about that season was that for me it was about resilience. I worked hard to make sure I got myself in good shape and I felt I finished off the year playing really well on the spring tour, bar a poor performance against England. But I'd finished off as the starting No.9 again after being dropped and I was quite happy."
A poor season in Queensland and a Wallabies campaign aborted in favour of surgery in June tested that resilience further.
But apart from Genia's physical and personal rejuvenation – he and wife Vanessa are expecting a baby – there has been plenty of upside for the Wallabies too.
Players all but shut out of the starting side while Genia amassed 55 caps in five seasons are now well into their Test seasoning. Nick Phipps has started 10 of his 21 appearances in the gold jersey, and Nic White has started seven from 16 Tests.
Even a player as notoriously competitive as Genia knows that is good for Australia.
"If you look at the All Blacks you know the best about them is that no matter what happens with injuries, guys slip in so seamlessly because they've had game time and experience at that level," he said.
"It creates depth and equality right across the board in all positions.
"I love playing, I love being out there for every second of every minute, and if I had it my way I probably would be ... but for a long time there I was playing 80 minutes of every game for five years, so from that point of view it's been really good for guys to get the opportunity to get experience."
