Gold Coast Titans utility Tyrone Roberts is ready to put a difficult 12 months behind him, starting with Friday night's Harvey Norman All Stars clash in Melbourne.
Roberts re-signed with the Titans at the end of last year after spending an eventful season in the Super League with the Warrington Wolves.
The Wolves managed to reach both the Super League grand final and Challenge Cup final with Roberts in their side, but off the field things weren't as rosy for the 27-year-old and his young family.
Roberts admitted his family found it difficult to adjust to the north of England, so when the chance came to return to re-sign with the Titans, he immediately took it.
"The football side of it was great, but just off the field [we struggled]," Roberts said from Indigenous All Stars camp in Melbourne on Tuesday.
"Sometimes you would leave in the dark and come home in the dark, so it wasn't great for the kids.
"It was too cold for them to go outside, so they were stuck inside for most of the time and we didn't get too many opportunities to go travelling as we played every week."
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Roberts praised the way Warrington handled his situation, with an out clause in his three-year contract allowing him to return to the NRL.
"I wanted to experience it, that's why I signed for three years over there," he said.
"I told them early that I wasn't comfortable off the field and they respected that decision.
He's a great footballer ... the less he worries about things the better he can play
Tyrone Roberts on Ash Taylor
"The kids weren't coping well and I wasn't coping all that well being too far away from home.
"It was a great experience over there, but family comes first and they are more comfortable over here and you can't put a price on happiness."
Roberts has moved back into the same house he previously lived in on the Gold Coast and is focused on "staying injury free and playing consistent footy" in 2019.
Many pundits expect the Titans to be one of the big improvers, with big things expected of Roberts and Ash Taylor in the halves.
"I know when I first started there was a lot of pressure on me, so I am just trying to take all that away from him," Roberts said of his mentoring role with Taylor.
"He's a great footballer and he has got the great skills, but the less he worries about things the better he can play."
As well as Roberts, Titans coach Garth Brennan also have Tyrone Peachey and Ryley Jacks in the mix for the No.6 and No.7 jerseys.
While Roberts' long-term focus is with the Titans, his immediate goal is performing well for the Indigenous All Stars against an imposing Maori team in a revamped All Stars contest at AAMI Park on Friday night.
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It will be the fourth time that Roberts has pulled on the Indigenous jersey and he can't wait to run out on the field and represent his culture once again.
"Whenever this comes around, if I am fit and ready I always put my hand up no matter what," Roberts said.
"Hopefully there will be plenty of tries and a lot of finesse."