Western Force lock Jeremy Thrush says he was struggling to get rid of his "dad bod" before last week's fairytale comeback, but some reassuring words from Richard Kahui and Dane Coles helped boost his confidence.
Thrush was lured out of retirement by new Force coach Simon Cron on the eve of the Super Rugby Pacific season after Ryan McCauley (shoulder) and Izack Rodda (foot) were cut down by injury.
The memorable comeback will forever be etched into Force folklore, with Thrush coming off the bench to score the winning try in Saturday night's 34-27 win over the Melbourne Rebels.
Cron is considering keeping Thrush for the entire season, and the 37-year-old is open to the idea.
But he initially felt a bit guilty about the comeback given the special send-off he received in his retirement game against the Hurricanes last season.
"I felt pretty bad to be fair. The way they sent me off with that haka was pretty special, and I was pretty grateful for that," Thrush told reporters on Tuesday.
"I did message (Hurricanes hooker) Dane Coles when I knew I might be on the bench, just to give him a heads up.
"I just said to him that none of this was planned.
"He just said, 'get stuck in and have a good crack at it'. It made me feel better about all that."
Former Force and All Blacks teammate Kahui was also supportive.
"He told me during the week it's like riding a bike," Thrush said, before adding: "I said 'one with flat tyres and a rusty chain'."
What made Thrush's performance all the more remarkable was the fact he only had one full week of training with the Force under his belt before the game.
"(Before that) I'd probably done two runs by myself, nothing too intense," he said.
"I'd been on the Wattbike a few times, and lifted weights, but nothing too serious.
"I was just trying to get rid of the dad bod, but it was taking a while."
Thrush says he will have "rolling" conversations with Cron and Force management about how much longer he is needed for.
But at the very least, he's set to be unleashed in Sunday's clash with the Queensland Reds in Melbourne.
Thrush is part of the coaching team at the Force academy.
He's also the head coach of WA rugby union outfit Wests Scarborough.
If Thrush's stint at the Force lasts the full Super season, he said there would be a way to balance his coaching and playing duties.
Thrush was initially hesitant to reverse his retirement decision. But the more he thought about it, the more right it seemed.
"I've met a lot of great people through the Force, guys who can't play for them any more through injuries," he said.
"I kind of knew if they had that same decision, they would die for it."
