JACKSON Baker's not sure if it was the surfing gods, his late mother or a "greater power" of some description but says "something had to be helping me".
Fresh from surviving the World Surf League's mid-season cut and keeping his spot on the championship tour for the rest of this year and the start of 2023, the Novocastrian rookie returned home with a mixed sense of relief and accomplishment.
Baker was eliminated from the Margaret River Pro in the round of 32, leaving his position on the CT in jeopardy with a further 14 heats still to play out.
After today's results at the Margaret River Pro, Jackson Baker has made the mid-season cut of the 2022 Championship Tour. pic.twitter.com/fmOsfQIjTB
— World Surf League (@wsl) May 3, 2022
"I was thanking the WA gods and my mum upstairs, I mean something had to be helping me," Baker told the Newcastle Herald on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the drama unfolded.
"That stuff doesn't happen without something else happening from a greater power."
Baker felt a certain sense of deja vu, having initially made the world tour in similar circumstances only five months ago.
"I've chucked myself in two scenarios now where all I've needed is one more heat," the 25-year-old said.
"I would have known in the morning [on Tuesday], if I beat Kolohe [Andino] I was on, it's that simple. It's the same as when I qualified in December.
"I felt as though it wouldn't happen twice. There's no way I could have that luck twice. It's crazy.
"If someone had of told me you're going to qualify that close twice I would have laughed at them."
Baker's adamant he wants to try and steer clear of these scenarios in the future.
"I don't want to put myself in that position ever again because I don't know if you can get three times lucky," he said.
"I'm definitely going to make sure I get the job done myself and don't have to rely on other people."
Five more CT events await Baker in 2022, starting with G-Land later this month.
Following on from Indonesia (May 28-June 6) will be Baker's maiden visits to both El Salvador and Brazil before rounding out the regular season with stops in South Africa and Tahiti. The top five individuals progress to WSL finals in the US in September.
Baker's cause this year has been helped by making the round of 16 in back-to-back events, Portugal and Bells, putting him 20th on the men's rankings and narrowly inside the cut line ahead of the Margaret River Pro.
"I felt like this whole year I've put in good performances," he said.
"Ninth isn't that big a result to everyone, but to me it's making heats and making it though that crucial third round.
"Just to be able to do that and now still have a chance at the back end of the year with pressure off, it couldn't get any better."
However, Merewether clubmates Callinan and Cibilic both fell on the other side of the mid-season cut (36 surfers down to 24) and now drop off the men's world tour.
They were eliminated from the Margaret River Pro in the round of 32 on Tuesday, leaving them short of the points required to climb the overall rankings.
"It's so hard for them, but I know the boys will come back bigger, better and stronger," Baker said.
Meanwhile, the Margaret River Pro continued on Wednesday with Aussie surfer Jack Robinson edging out two-time world champion John John Florence (15.60) to win the men's final on his home break.
Robinson, adding to his CT victory in Mexico last year, was previously awarded two perfect 10 scores when given a wildcard for the WA event in 2019.
