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Jack Dempsey has seen the light at the end of the tunnel; a flicker of green and gold illuminated through the darkness.
It's been almost a year to the date that the young Wallabies loose forward last had the chance to represent his country, after suffering a devastating leg injuryin a match against the Barbarians in October last year.
Tearing two hamstring tendons off the bone in his left leg, the initial prognosis for the 24-year-old was a six-month rehabilitation period – pencilled in to return for the Waratahs in round seven of the Super Rugby season.
He was out of action for almost twice that long, and did not play a minute of the Super Rugby season.
It was dark times for Dempsey, however the young loose forward revealed former Wallabies great John Eales took the time to reach out to him and check on how he was handling the layoff.
"When I read the voicemail that it was him (Eales) calling, I thought it was a bit of a joke, so I called him back and it was him," Dempsey told Fox Sports.
"He called me back three or four times throughout the rehab process to check in on me.
"That window when we (the Waratahs) were supposed to play the Reds — but didn't make it — he called to check up and see what was going on, and obviously I was in a pretty dark space then, he helped me get through that."
The Australian National Rugby Championship competition gave Dempsey an immediate pathway back into the Wallabies system, with six matches for the Sydney Rays and a phone call from Wallabies coach Michael Cheika guiding his way back to the top level.
"He called me to see how my mindset was and I just expressed some personal concerns about not only my long term health but also my short term, and he obviously took that on board and agreed with that.
"He wanted me to come on this trip and I definitely wanted to take up the opportunity, if it was the best thing for me.
"We used the last couple of days in Sydney to get back on track, I got the green tick and we're all good."
Now back with the Wallabies and preparing for a clash against the All Blacks this weekend in Japan, Dempsey will battle with former Crusaders forward Pete Samu and uncapped Jed Holloway for a spot on the bench.
