A year ago, Connor Watson was in a wheelchair as he rehabbed an injury that threatened to end his NRL career.
Given he only started running again in January and began the season in reserve grade, just playing footy again at the top level after 18 months away from the NRL was a victory.
But now Watson will complete one of rugby league’s great comeback stories when he makes his State of Origin debut for New South Wales in front of 90,000 fans at the MCG on Wednesday night.
“When I got the call and I spoke to Mum and a few different family and friends, a few of them said, ‘imagine you yelling yourself last year that you’d be playing State of Origin’. It’s pretty wild,” Watson said.
“I’m definitely grateful for the whole journey, the ups and the downs. Even through all of those tough times, I’ve been fortunate enough to have great friends and family around me.
“In the scheme of things, you can miss a year of footy but there’s worse things going on in the world.”
Watson’s troubles began in the summer of 2023 when he suffered a serious knee injury — a patellar tendon tear, to be exact — at pre-season training.
Given the loss of strength in the knee and that he was off his Roosters contract at the end of that season, there was no guarantee Watson would ever be the same as a footballer or if he’d still have an NRL deal once he made the arduous journey back to full fitness.
But Watson wouldn’t give up. With the support of his mother, Jodie, and his girlfriend, Kiana, he moved back to the family home in Terrigal and began the long road of returning from one of the most difficult injuries to rehab.
“They were so rock solid for me. I had to go up to Mum’s because I have stairs up to my apartment and I had to keep my leg straight, I was in a wheelchair with a leg extension thing for a while,” Watson said.
“So I went to Mum’s and drove her mad, it reminded her why I don’t live with her anymore. As nice as it was having me home, I think by the end of it she was keen for me to get back to Sydney.
“Sometimes I’d have to ring Mum and ask her to come downstairs and help me out of bed.”
The wins came slowly but steadily for Watson. He was in the wheelchair for two months. Then he could start walking in the rehab pool at the Roosters.
Eventually, he could get back in the gym and start on the anti-gravity treadmill and the hard work really started.
In November of last year, the Roosters re-signed him for another two seasons, which is a measure of his standing at the club, and in January he finally hit the turf and was running again.
By March, he was back playing and it wasn’t long after the season began before he made his NRL return after 558 days away from first grade, scoring a double in a riotous win over South Sydney.
Watson has served as an inspiration to his Roosters teammates. Angus Crichton, no stranger to adversity himself, played reserve grade alongside Watson to begin this season and now the two will do the same on the game’s biggest stage on Wednesday night.
“He’s got a really clear grasp on who he is, he’s a well-rounded guy who works really hard and has never lost sight of his goals,” Crichton said.
“I’m excited for him to get his chance and I know he’ll eat it up.”
Watson’s journey towards Origin has been lengthy but ever since he entered selection calculations in the lead-up to Game I, things have heated up quickly.
Were it not for a throat injury he suffered earlier this season he very well could have been there for the series opener, with coach Michael Maguire prizing his versatility and impact.
What exact role he’ll play at the MCG remains to be seen. With the ability to play hooker, lock and in the halves and given he’s covered centre and fullback in the past, Watson has to be ready for anything.
The Blues have paid the price for a lack of versatility on their bench before but that shouldn’t be an issue with Watson, who has grown to love the utility tag since debuting in the NRL back in 2016.
“My perspective on it has changed for sure. When I was younger I wanted to start but as time goes on you realise being able to cover all these positions is actually a strength, it’s fun, it’s different all the time,” Watson said.
“You never know where you’ll end up.
“You have your role, which at the Roosters for me is playing nine and 13 most weeks, but then you have to be prepared for whatever else comes.”
There’s a chance, if injuries don’t strike the Blues, that Watson could see scant minutes in Game II. It’s happened to Origin utilities, like Jamie Buhrer, Tyrone Peachey and Aaron Raper, plenty of times before.
But given what he’s overcome, just one second of Origin football makes the journey all the more worthwhile for Watson.
He’s still coming to terms with what he’s achieved but the best may still be yet to come.
“It probably won’t [sink in] until I play. Once I play I’ll sit back and reflect and it’ll sink in a bit,” Watson said.
“It’s so cool to be a part of this.”
