Three years ago injury robbed Chris Lawrence of a chance to play State of Origin.
He was playing in the centres then and was at the top of his game.
By the time he recovered from his injury and returned to the fold the Origin caravan had moved on.
Now, still young at 27, and playing exceptionally well in the backrow for the Wests Tigers, Chris Lawrence is focused on one thing: success for the team.
Not that he has ruled out playing in the Origin arena if that opportunity happened to knock on his door a second time.
But the Wests Tigers come first for Chris Lawrence, who spoke to us on Wednesday as the team was preparing for a massive game against the Gold Coast Titans on Saturday at Campbelltown Sports Stadium.
“It’s been a good month,’’ he says.
“I think we’ve been playing consistent footy for probably the last two months and while we haven’t won all of them we’ve been pretty much in every game and giving ourselves that opportunity to win.
“Which is what you’ve got to do in the NRL if you want to be competitive year in year out.’’
The past three games, all victories, have seen a very different Wests Tigers team, especially in defence, conceding just four tries in 240 minutes of football.
That’s usually how many tries the team used to concede every game, so what put the steel in the Tigers defence?
“In the Bulldogs game, the most recent one before the bye, we were playing well in the first half, we defended well, but we were making a lot of errors,’’ says Lawrence.
“As a result we made it hard for ourselves in the second half.
“We reviewed the game and looked at the need to control the ball, because we knew that to match it defensively with the top sides we had to limit the time they had with the ball.
“The more we controlled the ball the less opportunity obviously we would give our opponents.
“And when you do that it gives you confidence and you sort of build on that, you defend one or two sets, then you do it for three or four sets.
“You build confidence on that, and the more you do it the better you get at it.
“You’ve obviously got to keep doing it each week so it’s just about building on what we’ve been doing.
“Everyone’s been working hard individually as well to improve their own game bit by bit and the team has got the benefit.’’
The Wests Tigers are just outside the top eight with four matches to go before the finals and needing to win at least two of those to have an even chance of playing September footy.
Three wins would guarantee them a spot, but there’s no talk of finals footy in the camp, according to Lawrence.
“No, not really, four weeks is such a long time in footy and our for and against isn’t good, so we’ve just got to win games,’’ he says.
Chris missed just one game this year through suspension, the first such blemish in a career that started 10 years ago when he was still at high school.
He copped a one match ban for a dangerous throw, ironically against the Gold Coast Titans in round 3.
At the end of last season he had played 172 games for Wests Tigers.
Now he has played 191 and is fast closing in on the big milestone of 200 games.
Only three other players have played 200 or more games for the joint venture club since its inception in 2000.
The great Benji Marshall played 201 games, as did second rower Chris Heighnington, who is now at the Sharks.
In top place is Robbie Farah, who as everyone knows is stuck on 247 games.
Lawrence is turning 28 later this year so will be 31 when his next contract expires in three years.
All things being equal he could end up playing more games for Wests Tigers than anyone else.
“These sort of milestones are not goals when you start out,’’ says Lawrence.
“But I’ll look back on it at the end of my career and think, a big achievement.’’
Of course he is also a chance of another milestone, a rare one these days in rugby league: one club player.
“I’m here for the next three years but things change month to month in footy,’’ he says.
“I’d love to be a one club player at this stage, because looking at the talent coming through I want to be part of that.’’
After another series defeat this year and one or two retirements, the NSW Origin Blues team will undergo a bit of renewal in 2017, which could open the door for a talented backrower like Chris Lawrence.
“If I am playing good footy consistently and the opportunity came then I would definitely take it with both hands – you’re not going to say no to that sort of opportunity,’’ he says.
“But for me my focus is trying to help this young Wests Tigers team back into making the top eight, into being a competitive footy side.
“And I know if you are playing in a good competitive side your own game lifts and that’s when you get recognised for higher honours.
“I just want to see this club back into the finals and if anything individual came along it would be a byproduct of that.’’
What about a premiership ring, Chris Lawrence, would you like one of those before you retired?
“I just missed ‘05, so would love to win one,’’ he says.
“Fingers crossed, one day.’’
