Shaun Lane can still remember the moment he decided it was now or never, and that he had to try and make something of his NRL career before it was too late.
That given his ability, being a fringe first-grader who spent most of his time bouncing between clubs in NSW Cup was no longer good enough.
And the realisation that if he didn't change his ways immediately, he'd soon be another what-if story trying to work out life outside of professional sport.
"I was on my final year on contract for Manly," Lane told AAP.
"And I kind of woke up to myself a little bit throughout the pre-season.
"I didn't have anything else outside of footy. I hadn't completed my (psychology) degree yet.
"I'd just been pretty much sitting in reserve grade for years, not living up to my potential.
"So I just pretty much decided before the pre-season, that this was it. I'm going to give it 100 per cent of everything and that I have to try and make footy work."
By Lane's own admission, 2018 was "messy".
Manly was a club in turmoil, and Lane was rumoured to be the man rooming with Jackson Hastings during the infamous Gladstone trip and alleged altercation with Daly Cherry-Evans.
Coach Trent Barrett later resigned in protest of working conditions, while Manly finished second last.
Yet in the background Lane was becoming a genuine first-grader, playing all 24 games and scoring nine tries as his now-famous offload began to develop.
"It was a messy year ... but probably my best year," Lane said.
"I started on the bench and then slowly worked my way into a starting role on the edge and then I'm scoring all these tries.
"I think Manly had some salary cap issues. Baz was still the coach, and it was uncertainty about the future of the club.
"From the potential that I was showing, Parramatta saw that I'd finally started to mature a little bit as a person and as a player.
"And that's when they made the move to get me over and give me the opportunity that I have been presented."
For Lane, the fear of facing a life outside of the NRL must seem like a lifetime ago.
He is on the verge of signing a new three-year deal with the Eels, while also earning the reputation of being their big-moment player.
His offloading game is now also one of the most crucial components of Parramatta's attack, setting up eight tries this year by poking his nose through a tackle and getting the ball away while still held.
"It's just a matter of being in the right system and being surrounded by the right players," Lane said.
"I've always known and shown potential sometimes when I've been placed in those opportunities."
