Will Warbrick would prefer that this story wasn’t just about concussion and the way it has shaped not just his season, but his life.

If Warbrick had his way, he would prefer to focus on the things that he has rather than the things that were nearly taken away.

A loving and supportive partner. A club and a medical staff that wrapped their arms around him when he was struggling to get back on the field.

And now the chance to play in the finals and potentially win a premiership with the Melbourne Storm, which would cap one of the comebacks of the season for the former New Zealand 7s star.

“I’m just really grateful to be honest,” Warbrick said.

“Sometimes experiences really humble you – and so you do a little bit of soul searching and stuff.

“I feel grateful for the people at the club. I can’t emphasise how important they were to keep the belief in me that I was a chance of playing and helping me get through (this), and then also just support me.

“I’m just grateful to be playing the game and enjoying it. It’s a pretty privileged position. It took a lot of hard work to get to this point.

“I guess I’m pretty proud of myself to be able to get through this. I would say I have almost learnt more about myself going through this experience then other things, you know?

“You learn more about what’s important to you.”

THE START

Warbrick began the season with plenty of wind in his sails. He was coming off a year in which he established himself as one of the elite wingers in the NRL, scoring 19 tries in 24 games.

He opened the season with another try in a big win over Parramatta and then played 80 minutes against the Dragons in round four.

That’s when the troubles began. Warbrick started feeling the delayed effects of concussion which were exacerbated when he suffered a knock at training.

“I was just struggling initially with delayed concussion symptoms,” he said.

“During the game I was fine. I didn’t have any head knocks during the game. After the game I experienced symptoms and it happened again against the Dragons in round four.

“We decided to reassess where I was at with training and during one of the contact sessions, I copped a little knock to the head, which stirred my symptoms up even more.

“After the knock I copped at training, the symptoms I was experiencing were more frequent and really disrupted what I could do in training and what I was able to get through.

“It made me pull back a lot on what I was doing day to day. With the medical team here, we just thought it would be good to take a real step back and try to let these symptoms settle, and sought help from professionals and different medical experts.

“We took their advice on board. It was just a real cautious recovery program.”

THE JOURNEY

Warbrick anticipated missing some football but he never expected an extended stint on the sidelines. Certainly nothing like what he went through as the weeks and months went by with no return in sight.

Warbrick started seeing a sports psychologist through a company called The Mind Room in Melbourne to help with his mental health. He also leaned on his partner Georgia, conceding he may not have come out the other side without her support.

Even when he finally overcame the concussion concerns, Warbrick had to recondition his body for the rigours of the NRL. That created fresh problems – he started getting soft tissue injuries.

“It was probably one of the most challenging things I have experienced,” Warbrick said.

“Early on the reality is when you’re going through it, you don’t know when you’re going to be back training or whether you’re going to play again.

“There is a lot of unknown and uncertainty around these kinds of injuries. Even though I had really good support from the club and the medical and performance staff we have here, who are really good and gave me the time and the support I needed, it’s still scary.

“It’s not like a calf injury where you might have three to four weeks. There’s nothing like that with a brain injury.

“It’s literally how you feel and what you can cope with. So, it was pretty tough. There’s the physical component about it with the brain and stuff, but there’s also the mental side and the struggles you have when you’re not able to train or play.

“That identity is taken away from you. It’s a test of your character.”

THE COMEBACK

Warbrick made his return for the Storm’s feeder side Sunshine Coast in the Queensland Cup last month. A week later he was back in the NRL and his comeback is now three games old, having scored a try in the club’s round 27 loss to Brisbane.

He was named on the wing for the club’s opening final against the Bulldogs at AAMI Park on Friday night and his sights are now firmly set on helping the Storm finish the season with a premiership.

Regardless of what happens from here, Warbrick is just grateful to be playing again.

“I remember having a look and before my first game back in Queensland Cup it was pretty much just under five months since my last game,’ he said.

“I didn’t expect it to play out the way it did. I’m just really grateful to be honest. It really puts perspective on things and makes us feel human, these kinds of experiences.

“Sometimes experiences really humble you so you do a little bit of soul searching and stuff. It’s a pretty privileged position.

“It took a lot of hard work to get to this point. I guess I’m pretty proud of myself to be able to get through. I would say I have learned more about myself through this experience than other things. “You learn a lot about what’s important to you and how much playing NRL means to me.”

Winning a premiership would be the icing on the cake. The Storm will start the finals series behind only Canberra in betting markets and if they are to have success, a large part of it will revolve around their potency on the wings.

In Warbrick and Xavier Coates, Melbourne have two of the elite wingers in the game.

“I feel like I’m just really present with everything that’s happening and not taking anything for granted,” he said.

“I feel like that’s probably the biggest takeaway from this experience is, you know, how quickly things can change and turn.

“We’ve got a pretty tough game this week but I think the main focus is just on us. For me, it’s just like my own training and preparation.

“What’s happened this year hasn’t been ideal for my own circumstances. But I’m here now and I’m able to train and prepare the way I want to prepare for the game.

“So it’s all good.”