It's been almost 500 days and counting since the greatest night of Edrick Lee's rugby league life, but the Knights flyer still still doesn't know when he'll play again.
It was November 2020 when Lee dived over for a try in his State of Origin debut for Queensland, in front of a packed Lang Park filled with family and friends, his cousin Brenko wearing maroon beside him.
After coming into the team barely 24 hours before kick-off, Lee ended up playing a blinder as the so-called "worst Queensland team ever" pulled off a classic Origin heist on the highly fancied Blues, securing a historic series upset with a 20-14 victory in Origin III.
It was a game straight out of a dream, and one that granted the cousins Lee entry into Origin folklore.
If either of them pays for a drink north of the Tweed for the foreseeable future, Queensland simply isn't doing it's job.
"Having the opportunity to play Origin with my cousin, in the city we grew up [in] in front of all my family and friends and all of Queensland, that was the biggest highlight," Lee said.
"Even just being in camp after the year I had, with some injuries and the passing of my mum, there was a lot of hardship, but I really finished it on a high.
"It's a moment I'll cherish for a long time, for the family side as much as anything else."
It was the unexpected peak of Lee's career, the night of a lifetime, and if it was going to be the final game Edrick Lee ever played it was as good a note as any to finish on — and given Lee's injury troubles in the days since, it very nearly was.
But after a summer on a train-and-trial deal with the Knights, Lee signed a top 30 deal on Wednesday that will keep him at the club for the rest of 2022 and, with a bit of the luck that has deserted him since his magical night in maroon, allow him to wear the red and blue in first grade again.
Lee lost all of last season to foot fractures – first a stress fracture that came out of nowhere one day at training, which progressed to a true fracture mere days before he was meant to return, ruling him out for the season.
"We were just doing some edge-vs-edge stuff at training, KP (Kalyn Ponga) put a kick in and I ran after it and it just happened," Lee said.
"I was just running and felt my foot was sore, and the scans came through afterwards and that was that.
"Originally we were scheduled for a return in round 10. I did the whole week, then around the captain's run we did a last-second scan just as a formality and it showed the bone still wasn't healing.
"It was black and white, once they said it wasn't healing you can't risk playing in that nature. I took the doctor's advice and had the surgery."
With Lee off-contract at the end of last year, there were rumblings his days as a Knight could be over.
It was just as tough a time for cousin Brenko in Melbourne – after winning a premiership with the Storm and playing his own part in Queensland's glorious victory, Brenko didn't play a game of first grade in 2021 either.
Edrick says he never seriously considered retirement, even when the days were their darkest. The 29-year old is one of the game's characters, with an infectious enthusiasm that's made him a beloved teammate at the Knights, but underneath the smile Lee has the true steel.
Gritting your teeth and playing through injury is one thing, and Lee's no stranger to it – back in 2019 he broke his arm in a match against the Broncos but played on, scoring a try to boot.
But the loneliness and isolation that comes when rehabbing a serious injury takes another kind of toughness.
There's no adrenaline to run on and, unless they are also in the rehab group, no teammates to inspire you. It is you against yourself, a war on the body that has betrayed you by breaking down.
It is not easy for anybody, but the old adage of "one day at a time" won out for Lee, because every day it was hard was one day closer to when it was easy.
"I just had to live in the present. There were so many things I couldn't control, but I could control what was happening to me right now," Lee said.
"As long as I didn't look to the future, or to the past, and I just stayed on what I was doing in the moment something good would end up happening.
"[Brenko and I] went through a rough patch and we were talking a lot, just making sure we were on top of things and doing all the little things right.
"That's all worked now, it's all behind us and we're trying to move forward and take some opportunities this year."
Brenko has landed back in Brisbane, but with his new deal, Edrick is sticking with Newcastle, which has become his home since he joined the club in 2019. He wants to stay there for as long as he can.
Injuries have restricted him to just 25 games in three seasons, but Lee is a favourite among the players and fans in the Hunter.
When coach Adam O'Brien announced his retention at a team meeting on Wednesday, the room exploded.
"We couldn't be happier or prouder of him to get that news. I've known him a long time, since back in the Sharks days, and witnessing what he's been through over the last 18 months – to go from nearly hanging the boots up to being rewarded with this new deal, all the boys were so excited. We couldn't be happier for him," Knights co-captain Jayden Brailey said.
"If you know Eddie you know he's a ball of energy, always bringing the positivity around training, and the poor bugger hasn't had much to be positive to be about over the last 18 months but he still keeps going.
"He's so good to have around the rehab boys, I'm seeing him every day now. He lifts your spirits when he walks in the door, he's always smiling and making jokes, he's so good to be around."
Lee has not pencilled in a return date yet and neither have the Knights.
With Enari Tuala playing so well on Lee's left wing last year and Dom Young impressing and improving with every match, there is no saloon passage back into the side for Lee.
There is a chance he could find his feet in NSW Cup for a few weeks, but that won't matter for Lee. Just playing again, playing for the Knights again, will be enough to start with.
"I'm not focusing on a game just yet. I'm just trying to focus on every day and nailing every day and not looking too far ahead," Lee said.
"Once I'm available for selection and can really put my hand up, that's when I'll think about what I want out of this season.
"I always wanted to stay with Newcastle. I'm just grateful for that opportunity.
"It's the community itself. It's easy to get around, they're really engaging with the 'one team, one town' mentality. They always support you through the ups and downs.
"It was a mix of emotions when I signed, I was happy and relieved but most of all I was just excited. I'm just excited to play again."
