Jake Clifford promised himself he wasn't about to go on the NRL scrap heap when he walked out of Newcastle for the English Super League at age 24.
But not even the North Queensland halfback could have predicted he would be back steering a team into finals two year later.
Clifford will line up for the second finals match of his career on Saturday night against his old club Newcastle, having taken an around-the-world trip to get there.
A North Queensland junior, he was once viewed as the man who would one day replace Johnathan Thurston.
But that didn't work out, with Clifford leaving Townsville partway through 2021 as the club brought in Tom Dearden.
Then came the disappointment at Newcastle, hooked during a game early in the 2022 season and eventually on the outer as the club hunted Jackson Hastings.
It prompted Clifford to head to Hull FC, before being brought back home by the Cowboys this year.
"I knew I wasn't done in the NRL - if I could play some good footy I had more to give here," Clifford told AAP.
"I still had another year at the Knights, but the way some things unfolded in the off-season, there were signs they didn't want me there.
"I didn't want to go to a club that didn't want me. I took the gamble to go overseas with my little family.
"I just knuckled down for that 10 months, (wanted to) play some good footy and then try and come home. That was always my intention."
Clifford is unsure if he would be playing finals football this week if not for his stint at Hull.
There he had the keys to the team, without the scrutiny or selection pressure of the NRL.
"I have definitely grown, matured a lot more," Clifford said.
"It was just the little things to manage in games. I know what strengths I have and what to base my game off. I just understand it a lot clearer.
"I played a bit more ad-lib kind of footy, and it allowed me to play with a bit of confidence. The coaching staff let me have free rein. They opened my game up."
Clifford was resigned to leading the Northern Pride's Queensland Cup title tilt until a month ago, when Todd Payten opted to drop Chad Townsend and make Clifford his No.7.
Changing halves is rare for finals-bound teams, and doing so with a month left in the regular season is even rarer.
Clifford has barely missed a beat since.
"It was something I lost a bit of sleep over," Payten said.
"But if I didn't make it then, I wouldn't have been able to make it two weeks ago.
"It was more based around tackling and defensive decisions.
"He has a big body, stronger in contact. He is connected to the group, and his kicking game can get us out of trouble if we're buried in our own half."
