With a bit of luck with injuries, Souths can challenge for the title.

Graham, who turns 26 later this year, was regarded as one of the premier outside backs before the long, long injury layoff.

After representing the Kangaroos at the 2022 World Cup, he was included in the NSW Origin squad for game one in 2023, only to withdraw when the sternum injury raised its ugly head again.

Graham underwent shoulder surgery at the end of that 2023 campaign, and was assured the time off would allow his sternum to heal naturally. But it did not, and Graham was soon going back under the knife, this time in a Brisbane surgery when he should have been jetting into America with his teammates for the start of their Las Vegas preparations.

The option of receiving up to 30 painkilling injections for a second straight year so he could play was quickly ruled out by all concerned.

“I first did the sternum in the first game of 2023 against Cronulla – I don’t remember the exact moment, but I was still able to manage the pain with injections each week,” Graham said.

“But things got really bad after the Parra game. Even then, the pain did not start until a couple of days later. After speaking to the specialists, they think I may have picked up an infection from all the injections I was getting.

“I struggled from that point. My training loads significantly decreased, I couldn’t do any contact during the week, and my gym work was heavily modified.

“I played games sporadically the rest of the season, missed a few weeks here and there, but still finished the year. There was pain, but I felt it more when I would do things like pull on a shirt, or sit up.

“I think ‘JD’ [Demetriou] appreciated what I was able to do. It was a disappointing year for me the way it panned out with the injury, but to win the George Piggins award, that was definitely the highlight of my career – that and my Australian debut are right up there.”

Graham felt discomfort during a wrestling session at the start of last year and knew he was in trouble. One of the first people he spoke to was Jack Bird, who was then with St George Illawarra, and had undergone the same sternum surgery a few years earlier while with Brisbane.

Graham knew what he had to do, and even booked the same surgeon, Morgan Windsor, who mended Bird. It was later discovered the infection caused part of Graham’s sternum to die.

“They removed the dead bone from my sternum, took a bone graft from my left hip, then put the fresh bone into the sternum, and covered it with a couple of plates,” Graham said.

“There was no blueprint in terms of when I could return. I was hoping I could be back around round 16, but it was up to the surgeon, and he told me when I could run and when I could do weights.”

Graham missed the entire season, but returned to the gym before pre-season training was due to start for this season. He tested out his sternum with a few wrestling sessions with Nazareth Taua, Tallis Duncan, Thomas Fletcher and even South Sydney premiership winner Jason Clark.

By doing so, Graham gave himself the confidence he would be right when the main group reported for duty.

“It’s been unreal since,” he said. “I’ve been doing full contact since November, and I feel like a footy player again.

“I pulled up sore, and in a funny way I never realised I would miss that. Just having that contact, you don’t realise how good it is to have the collision.”

Bennett reached out to Graham and told him to avoid trying to be match fit for the start of training. Graham had seen the way Bennett had communicated with former Souths utility Adan Doueihi when he was returning from an ACL repair.

“Wayne rang me during the off-season and wanted to make sure my head was right, and that I was refreshed and excited about the year,” Graham said.

“He told me to not rush things and think I should be playing fit for day one of pre-season. He gets you into that headspace where you need to understand you won’t be at your best your first game back, that you need to accept that, and how you can only be the best you can be and build on that.

“Wayne simplifies everything, that’s the way he coaches. It’s not rocket science, and he instils belief and simplicity.”

Graham has been training at right centre with Isaiah Tass outside him on the wing and new recruit Lewis Dodd at halfback. He is weighing a tick over 100kg. He spent the Australia Day weekend surfing with mates down the NSW south coast. That would have been an impossible task 12 months ago.

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Graham said Mitchell had been inspirational this summer. “‘Trell’ is fit it and moving the best I’ve seen him in a pre-season,” he said.

“He’s also leading the best I’ve seen, with his talk and energy, which is exactly what we need heading into this year.”

Come round one against the Dolphins, it will mark 553 days since Graham’s last game in the NRL. Talk about a lengthy wait.

“I’m just excited to be back playing footy,” he said. “You miss it so much. I do what I do because I love it, and always have.”

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