IT was the point when training wasn't just a chore but was something to dread which meant Setaimata Sa knew he had to make a change in his life.
The optimism that had overtaken his trepidation at leaving rugby league behind for a three-year contract with London Irish had long since been on the wane.
The call of the 13-man code wasn't so much whispering in his ear, but beating a drum that couldn't be ignored.
Determined to make a change, he sent out some enquiries. Not so much an SOS call but a statement of availability, and Hull FC came knocking.
"I knew I had to come back to rugby league, I just wasn't enjoying myself in rugby union at all," explained Sa.
The sullen look is now long gone and, back where he feels more at home, it's an optimistic and more settled Sa who greets his FC training with relish.
"It's great to be here and I'm already loving it with a great set of boys at Hull," added Sa.
"I had to get through some obstacles and do right by London Irish before we could sort the deal, but I'm glad it's done. I enquired myself about coming back to league and started asking around because I was keen to leave.
"I never really wanted to go there and leave Catalan in the first place, but the decision was based around my family. I felt in France I was at a point in my league career where I could push on, so that was frustrating."
With one child and another on the way, Sa left for the sake of his English wife and his children, moving closer to family members.
Having turned down a long-term deal in Perpignan, he headed to Reading and a deal with the Exiles.
It didn't start well with a run of injuries that prevented the former New Zealand international from establishing himself. If the start was bad, it never really got much better.
Sa said: "Leaving Catalan, where I was doing well, to play a different sport where I was struggling, it was really tough and it did make me think 'what have I done?'
"I wasn't enjoying training, I wasn't enjoying the environment. There is barely any contact in union and it was a big difference for me.
"I'm already much happier and my family are happier too about being back in rugby league as the families are all much closer together."
Sa is in Hull on his own, lodging with team-mate Mickey Paea, until he can find somewhere suitable to move into with his wife and children.
Throwing himself into training, the aches and pains he missed from hardly playing for two years have returned after his FC debut at Leeds.
The focus is now on getting ready for a second appearance against Widnes next Friday, but he's realistic when asked about how long it will take to get back to the form that made him such a threat for the Dragons.
"I've lost a lot in the last two years, skill wise especially, but also from that lack of contact," explained Sa.
"You lose your touch a little when you are not practising your skills every day, but it will come back through training and playing.
"I'll get to that point where I feel I am back to my best and when I do I'll be happy, but it will take time and having a full pre-season with Hull will help.
"What I will do is my best. I'll keep training and try to help the team control a few things defensively. I just need my body to get used to that contact again."
The past two weeks have been spent acclimatising, with Hull's play book a bedtime companion.
The plays are all down now, the calls learned, yet when asked about getting up to speed, Sa says he is not the type to overcomplicate matters.
"Rugby league is a simple game. You run the ball as hard as you can, you tackle as hard as you can and you support the guy who has the ball. If you do that you'll be fine," he added.
If Sa does that, he'll be a big hit, but whatever this season brings he's certain he's made a change for the better.
Back in the game he loves, the clouds have parted and the smile is back.
Feka tips Sa
Iafeta Paleaaesina has backed his new team-mate Setaimata Sa to take Super League by storm once again.
The former New Zealand Test prop says his fellow Kiwi will give Hull FC plenty of options once he finally gets up to speed after two years away in rugby union.
Sa is currently working on his fitness with Hull after missing the victory over London Broncos with a slight muscle strain.
Having shown glimpses of what he can do in a 20-minute cameo display against Leeds Rhinos two weeks ago, Paleaaesina is confident the former Catalan Dragons player will prove a great asset once he settles back into rugby league.
"Setaimata is going to be a very good addition for us," Paleaaesina told the Mail. "He is a big human and he will be a massive positive for us. He brings some real size to the team, but he can also play in the halves which is scary thought when you think how big a man he is.
"He'll be a huge asset. I'm looking forward to him getting right and getting some training with us under his belt, because then we'll be able to see just what he can do."
