Dylan Brown signed a decade-long deal to help Newcastle chase a premiership. In the first year of that commitment, the Knights have reached the NRL Grand Final with their marquee recruit watching from the sidelines.
His verdict?
"I've chosen the right place."
An ACL injury ended Brown's season in July, but Newcastle's title ambitions have survived his absence. Now, ahead of Sunday's decider against the Sydney Roosters, the man recruited to help lead their revival has become their biggest supporter.
And while the Knights' transformation from wooden spooners to grand finalists has surprised plenty, Brown says the talent was evident from his first preseason at the club.
Training against his new teammates prompted a simple question.
"Why aren't we winning games?"
"I never had any doubt as to where we could go," Brown told ESPN.
Newcastle have since provided an emphatic answer, reaching their first Grand Final in 25 years, demonstrating under coach Justin Holbrook that their resurgence extends beyond their marquee signing.
Their preliminary final victory over Penrith was the clearest expression of that belief. Already without Brown, the Knights lost hooker Phoenix Crossland to a first-half send-off and trailed 14-6 at the break, before fighting back to win 22-14.
For Brown, the explanation lies in a team that understands what is required, regardless of who is available.
"We've set our foundation. We know our system," he said.
That confidence has allowed Brown to embrace a different role during the biggest week of Newcastle's season.
He remains available to answer questions and provide encouragement at training, but sees little need to interfere with a side that has earned its place in the decider.
"I'm just being their biggest supporter at the moment."
It is a role he has embraced with an emotional investment that goes beyond the disappointment of being unable to play.
"I'm definitely all in," Brown said. "I get emotional about everything."
Brown arrived from Parramatta knowing what it meant to play for a club with a passionate following.
Away trips offered regular reminders of the Eels' reach, with blue-and-gold jerseys appearing even when they travelled to the Gold Coast.
"I didn't think you could get a bigger club," he said.
Newcastle's support has nevertheless left him marvelling at the connection between the team and its fans.
Brown felt the Knights supporters outnumbered South Sydney's during their elimination final and were considerably louder than Penrith's in the preliminary final.
But what has struck him most is the loyalty behind that noise.
For a fan base that has waited a quarter of a century to return to the Grand Final, this week represents an opportunity to celebrate after years of disappointment.
"They've been so loyal and now's their time to be proud about it," Brown said.
That sense of belonging has developed during a first season that began with significant change.
Brown committed to Newcastle while Adam O'Brien was coach, before Holbrook took charge ahead of the playmaker's arrival.
Reflecting on the transition, Brown said the club needed change, while acknowledging that its previous struggles could not be attributed solely to the head coach.
"Justin's come in and done an awesome job," he said.
Brown also credited Danny Buderus and the assistant coaches, whose contributions he believes deserve greater recognition.
"I feel like those people don't get enough raps."
Being sidelined has given him a different view of the work behind Newcastle's success. With less focus on his own weekly performance, Brown has gained a greater appreciation of the people helping the team prepare.
The Knights' ability to continue winning without him has become evidence of the strength of that collective effort.
Newcastle will need that same resolve without Crossland on Sunday.
The club's player of the year received a four-match suspension for the hip-drop tackle that left Nathan Cleary with a fractured leg, denying him a place in the decider he helped the Knights reach.
Brown has had weeks to come to terms with his own absence. Crossland has been given only days.
"I sort of accepted my thing," Brown said of his injury.
The initial period was difficult, before he redirected his attention towards recovery and the contribution he could still make to Newcastle.
He believes Crossland, despite his devastation, will put the team's ambitions ahead of his own disappointment.
"I know he's probably devastated right now, but he would much rather the boys still win after what happened," Brown said. "If there's one person that deserves it, it's Phoenix."
Brown described a teammate whose resilience can make it difficult to know how much he is carrying.
"Not much rocks him," he said. "He plays every single game. He's had so many injuries throughout the year, broke his face and still played.
"Sometimes you just don't know what's going on inside of someone's head, but you can see what they're doing and he's doing everything right."
For Brown, the task beyond Grand Final week remains his rehabilitation.
He has not yet resumed running and is unsure when he will return, working through a recovery process that depends on meeting milestones rather than chasing a fixed date.
"In regards to when I return, I have no idea," he said. "But I feel good."
There is, at least, one upside to the hours spent rebuilding his strength.
"I'm just in the gym for five hours a day," Brown said. "It'll be good for the beach in the summer."
Before then, he has a Grand Final to watch -- and a club he already feels fully part of to cheer home.