Monday 23 October 2017 12:16, UK
England coach Wayne Bennett expects Jonny Lomax to be in contention for Friday's World Cup opener against Australia but the St Helens full-back knows from bitter experience not to build up his hopes.
Lomax had the rugby league world at his feet as a youngster, especially after appearing in back-to-back Grand Finals in 2010 and 2011, but serious knee injuries wrecked his seasons in 2014 and 2015 and forced him into a dark place.
However, Lomax is accustomed to battling adversity. He is renowned for the skull cap he has worn ever since sustaining a head injury playing for his school, which resulted in him having to undergo emergency open skull surgery in order to relieve the pressure on his brain.
He battled back from his latest setbacks to regain full fitness in 2016 and was rewarded with a first England cap against France before keeping the number one jersey for the Four Nations Series.
"That was a bonus, as well as an honour and privilege," Lomax said. "It was something I thought I'd never get to do, having had the setbacks I have.
"I just wanted to get back on the field and enjoy playing my rugby again. To be able to pull on the England shirt was a proud moment and being able to share that with my missus and family that had been through the lows with me was fantastic."
Lomax took advantage of the absence of both Sam Tomkins and Zak Hardaker to earn the England number one jersey in 2016, but he was forced to miss the mid-season Test against Samoa through injury and wondered if it might have counted against him when it came to the World Cup.
"I try not to over-think things anymore," he said. "The World Cup was at the back of my mind but I take things week by week because you don't know what's around the corner.
"I've done it in the past where I've looked ahead and something's gone wrong and it's devastating. It's not always a smooth road, it's up and down and you've just got to deal with what's thrown at you. That's why I deal with the immediate."
Lomax sat out last Friday's warm-up match against a Combined Affiliated States team with a minor hamstring injury carried over from St Helens play-off defeat at Castleford.
But, if he gets the nod to face the Kangaroos in Melbourne on Friday, the 27-year-old will go up against an adversary who has probably gone through the same range of emotions in 2017.
Billy Slater missed the Four Nations with a serious shoulder injury that threatened to end his career, but he made a successful recovery in time to win back his Origin place and, after playing a key role in Melbourne's Grand Final triumph, was an automatic pick for the Kangaroos.
"I suppose he was in a similar situation to me at the beginning of this year," Lomax said. "I looked to see if he was in the squad. It would be an honour to take the same field as him."
