The day after Ash Taylor played his first match for the Warriors, he knew something wasn't quite right.
Less than 24 hours after featuring in the round two game against the Titans in March, Taylor took his young family to a local park.
The 27-year-old was planning to play withhis kids but was in such severe pain he could barely stand up.
"That's when it hit home a lot," said Taylor. "You know, general soreness after game is one thing but what I was feeling was on a level that I haven't felt before. That's something that I couldn't put into words, of how much pain I was in."
That flashpoint sparked a realisation and he began to have "hard conversations" with his family about his future, which has culminated in an emotional farewell from the sport.
When Taylor arrived at the Warriors last November, after being released by the Gold Coast, he figured he might have another six years left in the NRL. Instead, he barely lasted six months, confirming his retirement from the sport on Tuesday due to a chronic hip condition.
It has, as Taylor said, "all happened so quickly", with some existing problems accelerating much faster than anybody expected.
Taylor had battled with the issue for some time, undergoing hip surgery after the 2020 NRL season. He was on a modified pre-season programme at the Warriors, but the condition worsened in the new year.
"[As we] started getting closer to the season, it started affecting me more. I was taking more anti-inflammatories to keep up with the elite level training," said Taylor.
"It was getting to a stage where I could see opportunities in training and games but my body physically, especially my hips, couldn't do what my mind was telling me to do."
Still, Taylor felt confident ahead of the Titans match, before the sharp reality the next day.
Taylor then saw three different specialists, with no particularly positive prognosis. More surgery was an option, but that would rule out a football comeback.
"There was very little confidence for me to have the procedure and to be back playing to the best of my ability, especially in the position I play," said Taylor. That left him with no alternative, after eight seasons and 116 NRL games.
Ash Taylor. Photo / Photosport
Taylor was emotional – "not being able to do something you love that you have been a part of since [you] were 5 years old" – and telling his teammates was particularly tough.
He said the current pain levels are manageable and he hopes to avoid hip replacement surgery in the future.
Taylor has had a chequered career, a prodigious talent who struggled to live up to the burden of a million dollar contract at the Titans. But he has no regrets, apart from not pursuing more education or vocational training during his career.
"I just thought footy was my life," said Taylor. "I thought it was going to be my life forever. But you never know when your time is gonna be up."
Taylor will help out wherever needed at the Warriors in the short term but plans to resettle in Toowoomba before the end of the year.
Taylor made his debut at the Broncos in 2016, before shifting south to the Titans, where he was recognised as the Dally M rookie of the Year in 2016.
He managed 100 try assists across his career, along with 18 tries and 16 line breaks.
"Who would have thought a little boy from St George who had big dreams to make it to the NRL and to have those dreams come true," said Taylor.
"I still remember my first game when I was 5 years old all the way to my most recent game for the Warriors. There have been plenty of happy times and some little tough times but I wouldn't be the man I am today without those times."
But Taylor left no doubt about the physical toll.
"Three shoulder reconstructions, two compound fractures, hand, thumb, wrist, ankle abductor and the more recent hip surgery, I think my body has been through a bit," said Taylor.
