DRAGONS recruit Brayden Wiliame has learned some valuable lessons in three years away from the NRL - that it's not wise to throw a curse on yourself is one of them.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Central Coast product debuted in the NRL with Parramatta in 2013, playing six games... for six losses. He was one the wrong end of the sheet in all five appearances for Manly in 2015 as well.
He finally notched his first NRL win in round eight the following season. It's not the most desirable of stats, but the now 27-year-old admits he probably has himself to blame for the 'cursed' tag.
"I kind of dropped that on myself one media session," Wiliame said.
"I was just a young dude not really thinking and I just said it and then all of a sudden it was all over the headlines.
"That's all about learning. I'm glad I went through it now because it's made me stronger as a person."
He can laugh about it now after notching 34 tries in 34 wins in three seasons with Catalans in the Super League, but he said his previous record does leave him with a sense of unfinished business after linking with the Dragons.
"I didn't have a good start to my NRL career, that's been noted early on at the clubs I was at," he said.
"I've definitely grown a lot over the last three years and feel like I'll be better for it once I get my chance in the NRL this time. It's exciting to be able to come back here and have the opportunity to do that.
"Going away earlier in my career worked in my favour, just to get away from the hustle and bustle of NRL and go and work on my game.
"It was good process getting away from it all and just really knuckling down on my footy, not worrying about the head noise. There was no pressure really.
"Once I got that spot my footy started doing the talking which was good but being over there you can be a bit out of sight out of mind. As soon as an opportunity came to come back I was always going to jump at it.
"It was something in the back of my mind when I first moved over to the Super League so being able to do it now is something I'm looking forward to."
He spent most of his first NRL stint floating around the back line but, after establishing himself as a centre in his time Catalans, unseating established pair Tim Lafai and Euan Aitken is his goal.
"Because I'm a bit older now I feel like I'm in a position to push them with some nice healthy competition and that's definitely what I'll be doing," he said.
"Part of going to the Super League was that I wanted to solidify my position. I see myself as a centre and going over there it wasn't guaranteed but if I trained well and played well I'd have that spot.
"Coming back it's the same sort of go, I knew that coming in. Nothing was set in stone but, if I train well and trial well, I can push for that position or any position in the back line.
"I'm confident I can play at [NRL] level and play at that level well. The wins and losses will come, that's footy, but I'm focused on just playing well for the team."