It was shaping as the perfect season for Paul Vaughan.
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The prop was in career-best form last year as the Dragons stormed their way through the first half of the NRL season, with Vaughan and teammates Tyson Frizell, Tariq Sims and Jack de Belin rewarded for their efforts with NSW jerseys in the Blues State of Origin series victory.
After the Origin success, a Kangaroos jersey beckoned for Vaughan.
And then it all came crashing down.
The Dragons slumped under the weight of an Origin hangover before Vaughan injured his foot in round 21. A round 24 return was dashed when Vaughan suffered a new foot injury at training, which ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
Vaughan has made no secret about how disappointed he was with how 2018 ended. But now he's back in a blue jersey he feels it's made his return to Origin even more special than last year's debut.
"It's good to be back," Vaughan said. "I think it's a little bit more special this time with the injury last year and the setback I had.
"With how the boys went last year and winning the series, it was such a proud moment and really special to be a part of that.
"I definitely wanted to be back here. I had a bit of a setback and something I had to overcome and it makes it a little bit sweeter that I had that hurdle that I was able to overcome."
After starting games one and two last year on the bench, Vaughan was elevated to the starting lineup for game three in Brisbane. It's a position he finds himself in again in 2019, with the 28-year-old seemingly the only person in the NRL who did not expect coach Brad Fittler to select Vaughan in his starting side.
Now that he's set to wear the number 10 jersey, Vaughan is turning his attention to ensuring he's ready for a fiery opening 20 minutes at Suncorp Stadium next Wednesday night.
"I definitely wasn't expecting the starting position. It's a massive job and we've got a pretty good forward pack here too, it's obviously something special to be a part of. I'm not shying away from the fact it's going to be a very tough task, especially up there in Brisbane. The first 20-25 minutes is going to be very tough, but I'm looking forward to it.
"The start of game three last year was pretty intense, that was probably one of the fastest games I've played in. If I can have a good start on Wednesday night, get a nice early involvement in the game, I think I'll be sweet."
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