WA goalkicking hero Jesse Hogan has revealed he almost had to miss Saturday's State of Origin rebirth, and he entered the blockbuster encounter with his confidence sitting at rock bottom.
Hogan kicked five goals, including three early in the final quarter, as Western Australia came from 29 points down at three-quarter time to close to within six points of Victoria at a sold-out Optus Stadium.
A settling 50m goal from Patrick Dangerfield helped lift Victoria to a 24-point win, 18.17 (125) to 15.11 (101), but it was Hogan's hot display that set tongues wagging.
Just three weeks ago, Hogan didn't think he would even be able to play due to his lingering recovery from off-season foot surgery.
Hogan carried the injury in the second half of last season, and the surgery to remove bone spurs from his troublesome right foot left him playing catch-up this pre-season.
"My training was pretty limited, and two or three weeks ago, there was a chance I wasn't going to play this game, to be honest," he said after winning the Graham Moss medal as WA's best player.
"We pushed the envelope to get here. To get out there and perform and impact for my state was awesome."
Hogan suffered recurrent navicular stress fractures in his right foot earlier in his career, but his most recent surgery wasn't nearly as serious, and he hopes to play a full season this year.
"The surgery was actually quite minor, but because it was on the foot, there's a lot of nerves and stuff around it," he said.
"So I probably didn't start running until mid-December, and then joined in with the group in probably late January.
"So it's been a pretty limited pre-season, but I should be fine.
"I think what we planned out and mapped out is for me to still try and play 22 games and hopefully finals, so we'll just see."
Hogan took nine marks against Victoria, with his aerial prowess and deadly-accurate goalkicking keeping WA in the game.
But the 31-year-old revealed his recent match simulation sessions opposed to GWS teammate Sam Taylor had left him with plenty of self doubts.
"I actually haven't touched it once on him," Hogan said.
"So I came into this game with not a lot of confidence. Sam Taylor's had my number. I honestly don't think I've touched it in two-and-a-half, three weeks. So I was a bit nervous coming in.
"But I get to play on the best defender every week and train against him, so I guess that puts me in good stead when I get to play against other defenders."
Hogan spent the first five years of his career at Melbourne, then had an unsuccessful two-year stint at Fremantle before finding a new lease on life over the past five seasons at the Giants.
"There was a period where I didn't enjoy (my footy) and going to the Giants, I've really enjoyed playing footy," Hogan said.
"It's funny, when you kind of strip it all back, you get the innocence of enjoying the small things and the grind."
