Adam Reynolds has seen too many photos of him looking dejected, exhausted – and occasionally injured – after an NRL preliminary final.
The diminutive halfback has a remarkable record on rugby league’s penultimate weekend: today will be his ninth preliminary final in just 14 seasons.
Adam Reynolds leaves the field with a hamstring injury in his first preliminary final in 2012.Credit: Getty Images
Only Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk (11) and Cameron Munster (10) have played in more, while Dale Finucane and Jesse Bromwich also made it to the grand final qualifier nine times.
Reynolds knows he is fortunate to have gone so deep into September for the majority of his career. But it hasn’t all been smooth sailing: he has won three of eight preliminary finals, and has just the one premiership ring to show from three deciders.
Maybe that’s why he remembers them all like they were yesterday.