“When you have a family that supports you and is always there for you, nothing really scares you even though at times it does,” he said. “Finding out what my injury was, there were times when I got scared. I know at the end of the day, everything’s going to be alright …

“My focus right now is to get the body right, cut down a few kilograms and just basically let my neck heal. I’m not trying to rush anything, just try and be smart.”

Several stars have helped Oloapu through his ordeal. Roosters legend Anthony Minichiello facilitated the initial consultation with Winder and maintained an interest during his recovery, while injured Canterbury teammate Ryan Sutton has been a companion in the rehab ward.

“It was a big shock for me, people were saying that I was going to retire,” he said. “I think my focus right now is just to come back from it, not to prove people wrong but to prove myself right.”

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Asked about the prospect of the injury not healing sufficiently to allow him to play again, Oloapu said: “That’s just out of my control, to think about the future right now.

“I’m just trying to stay present and do everything I can to come back in 2025 … No one wants an injury like that to happen to you. I think it’s kind of a blessing in disguise, kind of learning about diet and building that resilience and just meeting new people along the way.

“I’m being really grateful for, you could say, a second chance at playing this game.”

Sutton, who is hopeful of coming back from knee surgery in May, has marvelled at Oloapu’s resilience.

“Karl is my son at the minute,” Sutton quipped. “Me and Karl have got a tight bond at the minute because I’ve been in that situation where you’ve been injured when you’re young and it’s really hard.

“He’s always asking the physios about when he can come back. That just shows a lot of character from a young kid who wants to come back to the game, and credit to him.

“For a young kid, it’s easy for you to just get homesick away from family and take away from the love of the sport. But for a young kid to do what he’s doing and having to fight to get back is really good, and he’s had some really good news.

“I feel as a young kid that he is, he’s 19 years old, he’s got a long time ahead of him and he could use this year to really progress himself physically and mentally. He showed what he can do last year in those early games and he played a few at 18. The world’s his oyster.”

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