Toby Sexton truly had a baptism of fire in his second season as an NRL playmaker.
The 21-year-old entered 2022 with four first grade games under his belt, destined to become the club's long term No. 7 after showing promising glimpses from his debut season mixed with his high work ethic at pre-season training.
But the journey was a rollercoaster for the former Australian Schoolboy, who had periods of highs and lows; which eventually saw him return to Tweed at the backend of the season to help him find his enjoyment with footy again - a move that he feels was the best thing for him.
Whilst there has been much said publicly about Sexton, his attitude has never wavered; and in his corner is another young star who knows all too well the trials and tribulations of cutting it as an NRL halfback.
At the ripe old age of 25, Penrith superstar Nathan Cleary might've already achieved almost everything in the game, but he didn't just burst onto the scene as a ready-made seasoned linchpin.
The two-time title winner travelled a rocky road when he first featured for the Panthers in 2016, and was even subjected to immense criticism in 2019 for his club's slow start to the season - a year in which they had two wins in their first 10 games.
Fast forward to the here and now, Cleary has two premiership rings, a Clive Churchill Medal, two Dally M halfback of the year honours and State of Origin and World Cup wins just to name a few of his achievements, showing his support for the 23-game playmaker who has immense respect for the Kangaroos No. 7.
"I think it’s going to be like that at times. I watched him closely when he came onto the scene (in 2021) and he went really well. Sometimes it’s like that when you come onto the scene… there’s no expectations and you can just play your game," Cleary said after the Titans' clash with Penrith in Round 8, 2022.
"As you get into that second year, people start to watch you more. They analyse video and mark up on you a bit harder and try and put you under pressure and sometimes (bad) nights happen.
"I think he’s a great player and he just needs to stick at it. It’ll be a work in progress for him… it doesn’t just happen overnight. It certainly didn’t happen for me.
"He just needs to keep grinding it out, keep working hard and continue learning from his mistakes."
His dedication to return to the Gold Coast halfback jersey is now firmly on the agenda for Sexton, who has excitingly been one of the pre-season standouts at Parkwood in his quest to retain the prestigious No. 7, with his attitude as positive as ever to not get bitter, but to get better.
