IT may have taken a little longer than he had hoped but the past five weeks have shown Milton-Ulladulla's Jack Murchie made the right decision to join the New Zealand Warriors in May.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Batemans Bay-born product made the most of his return to the 17-man squad in round 15 against the Bulldogs, where he produced a man of the match performance (two tries, 32 tackles and one tackle break) to help his side win 20-14.
He backed it up the next week in Tamworth, when his Warriors smashed Newcastle 36-6, with Murchie playing 58 minutes off the bench.
So impressive were these two showings, the 23-year-old forced his way into the starting side and hasn't looked back since.
Murchie, over the past three games against Parramatta, Cronulla-Sutherland and Canberra, has played 76, 80 and 80 minutes in the back-row respectively - seeing him average 41 tackles, make 90 running metres and near average two line breaks per contest.
"I've been really enjoying my footy the past few weeks," Murchie said.
"It's been great to build a strong combination with Kodi Nikorima and Peta Hiku on that right edge."
The former Gerringong Lions' reinstatement to the squad coincided with the Warriors charging towards the finals, which were unfortunately dashed due to three straight defeats - with the most recent coming against his former side the Raiders last Sunday.
"The match against Canberra was one I'd circled on the calendar for a while and it was great to get out there and compete against all my former teammates," he said.
"There was a fair bit of banter going on out of the field - I love that sort of niggle.
"There's nothing better than playing against your mates."
Murchie, despite finals football action being out of the equation as the Warriors head into the final round of the season, believes there are plenty of aspects the squad will take across into 2021.
"Resilience is a big one for us and there have been stages throughout the year where we would have just rolled over if teams started to put points on us and the margin might blow out," Murchie, who thanked the Central Coast community for their support this season, said.
"However, we are a vastly different team now and all the boys are prepared to stay in the fight and hang in the match, even when things aren't going our way.
"That has allowed us to stay in contests right until the end.
"A lot of that probably has to do with us spending so much time together off the field in the bubble.
"Obviously it's a shame a lot of the boys can't see their families but that extra time together has built a bond, that we might not have normally been able to."
Murchie and his Warriors in their final match of the season, will take on Manly-Warringah at Central Coast Stadium.
"The plan is to obviously go out with a win on Sunday," Murchie, who will return to the South Coast after the completion of this week's fixture before eventually heading across the ditch for pre-season training, said.
"Many of the players can't wait to see their families but know we have a job to do over the next couple of days.
"A win would be the perfect way to end a tough season for everyone but also build some momentum going into 2021 - each and every player knows what the jersey means and how special it is."
Murchie, who is contracted at the Warriors until the end of 2022, appreciates this breakout season is only the start of bigger things to come.
"The goal for me leaving Canberra and moving here was to play more consistent footy and thankfully I've been able to do that, stringing 12 games together for the club," Murchie, who is growing a mullet for mental health awareness, said.
"I've enjoyed every second and the club as a whole has really embraced me.
"I'm really excited about what the future holds for the club and can't wait to get over to New Zealand and start working towards next season, which is looking very promising for the Warriors with a new coach and a number of key signings."